


King of Darkness

by leafmon1995



Category: Digimon - All Media Types, Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: 25 years later, Daisuke loves teasing Ken, Dark Area | Dark Ocean, Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Family Issues, Gay Marriage legal, Hearing Voices, Hormones, Intersexual, Ken is being targeted by darkness again, Ken pregnant, King Ken, King of Darkness, M/M, Male Pregnancy, Queen Hikari, Queen of Light, World of Darkness, conflicting emotions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-07-16 22:37:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 28,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7287487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leafmon1995/pseuds/leafmon1995
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>25 years after their adventures, life has finally become peaceful for the Chosen as they settle down and form families. Ken is finally at peace when he gets to marry Daisuke. However, his life gets turned upside down when he learns that he has become pregnant. The Chosen's are thrown into further chaos as the World of Darkness seeks its vengeance on the Light for taking their King. Daiken. Mpreg.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ken is confused when he wakes up on his boss's couch

_Ken Ichijouji-Motomiya_

_Kido Digimon & Human Care Center, Fire Island, Digital World _

Ken never thought he would be the one in a hospital bed of all places, waiting for his husband to return from the World of Darkness. Ken bit his lip in worry. It was bad enough that his parents never told him that he was capable of getting pregnant, or at least lie and hide the fact that he could. But to have those creatures coming after him because he was their king?

He could not deal with that. His stress level was already high with the hormones and stress from the last nine months. He was excited to have a baby, he really was. Though, he wished it hadn't happened a few months after they finally got married.

He loved his husband, but Ken was worried that they weren't ready to take care of a child just yet. Daisuke's Noodle Cart business was growing rapidly in America and worldwide, making his husband very wealthy. Ken couldn't say he wasn't doing good for himself. He had been given his own team to train and lead in the Criminal Justice Department.

Daisuke often said Ken didn't need to work since his business was skyrocketing like crazy. But Ken loved what he did, and Daisuke accepted this, but that didn't mean he couldn't complain from time to time whenever he came home late from a case. They both made more than enough money to support themselves, considering the revenue Daisuke gets from his sponsors and the various chain restaurant he had at the moment.

Despite this, Ken still had the lingering fear. He wasn't sure if they were ready to be parents. How could they take care of a child if they were both busy and, in his case, constantly chasing bad guys that could harm his family? Ken doubted that he could be a good parent, considering his track record of bad things happening to him and his love ones. Of course, Daisuke wanted to hear nothing of that. He insisted that he would be great a father or mother, as Daisuke often described him as, teasingly of course.

Ken took a shaky breath as he was hit by another painful contraction. He wasn't sure if he was ready, but he wasn't willing to give up his baby. He wasn't going to let those dark creatures control his life. Ken didn't like what they did to him and certainly didn't like the hell they caused over the months.

Ken felt somewhat safe knowing that his husband and friends were fighting to protect him and his unborn child. He was thankful for that. Though, it concerned him that the children were fighting to protect him as well.

He blinked his eyes rapidly, forcing himself not to cry out in pain as the pain got worse. The doctor said he was not ready yet (he was close, but his contractions were not close enough not to signal the cue for them to perform the surgery), but the pain was awful. Ken felt the tears building up as his emotions brought his fears of not surviving for either of them.

_Where's Dai? I can't do this alone._

* * *

_Nine Months Earlier_

_Ken Ichijouji-Motomiya_

_Odaiba Police Station, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Ken groaned as he regained consciousness. He wasn't sure what was going on or where he was. The last thing he remembered was talking to his boss about their latest case with their medical examiner. He groaned softly as he heard a familiar voice slowly entering his mind.

"Ichijouji-san? Ichijouji-san? Can you hear me, my boy?" _Hirose?_

Ken slowly opened his eyes and tried to clear blurry vision. Ken frowned as he tried to focus on his surroundings and figure out where he was exactly. After a moment, Ken realized that he was lying down on his boss's brown couch.

_Why am I sleeping in Senoo's office?_ he sluggishly thought before a very concerned Hirose Shogo appeared in his line of vision. The good doctor was their medical examiner for the department. He was an older gentleman, around the age of eighty-five. He had gray hair that reached just above his ears, warm chocolate colored eyes, and fair, wrinkled skin. Ken looked at the doctor in confusion. _What happened?_

Shogo smiled slightly in relief. "Glad to have you back. How are you feeling?"

Ken blinked in confusion as he tried to sit up, but was stopped by the doctor. "Easy, Ichijouji-san. I wouldn't move if I were you." Ken winced, furrowing his brows at the pounding in his head that the small movement caused.

Ken groaned slightly as he lifted up his hand to rub his temple, hoping to relieve the pain. "What happened?" he asked weakly.

"You fainted." Ken shifted his gaze from Shogo to his boss, who was sitting at his desk. Senoo Naomichi was a very attractive man with rich black hair and blue eyes. He was one of those serious types that often wore suits to work and didn't like to play around, or doing things at the last minute. Naomichi was one of those workaholic, much like himself. Although, Ken knew how to have fun and relax once in awhile. Naomichi was also surprisingly single.

Naomichi's blue eyes shifted from the paperwork that he was working on to gaze at him. Ken noticed Naomichi s eyes were filled with concern. "How do you feel, Ichijouji? You gave us quite a scare."

Ken frowned at his boss. _I fainted? Well, that explains a lot. But why?_ "Dizzy," he answered after a moment. Ken slowly moved up so that he was resting on his elbow. "Sorry, I've been a little off lately." He shook his head weakly. "I thought this flu went away."

Both Naomichi and Shogo had concerned frowns on their faces. "How have you been feeling lately?" Shogo asked.

Ken blinked for a second, trying to think. "Well, I've been feeling more tired than usual...and I've been a little nauseous...and I have trouble eating without feeling I'm going to be sick…" Ken's voice trailed off when he saw twin looks of shock on their faces. He looked at them nervously. "What?"

"Have you've seen a doctor yet?" Naomichi asked, now standing up behind his desk and walking around it.

Ken frowned. "Well, no." Naomichi stopped in front of him and helped him get into a more comfortable position on the couch before sitting next to him. "My husband was thinking of setting up an appointment, unfortunately, but decided against it when it went away this morning." Ken sighed as he ran his hand through his dark navy blue hair. "Guess I have to see one, huh?" Ken asked with a small grimace.

Naomichi nodded in response with a knowing smile. "Still, don't like hospitals I see."

Ken rolled his eyes. "We've known each other since we were kids, Naomichi You know I don't. Not since…" Ken's voice trailed off. _Not since Osamu's death._

Naomichi gave him a sad smile. "I know, Ken. I miss him too."

Ken smiled weakly. Sometimes it felt so strange that he and Naomichi went to school as kids and went to the same academy. Naomichi might be his boss, but they still acted like good friends and teased each other (outside of work, of course). It was still strange how well Naomichi knew him. Then again, his husband and Wormmon knew him better than anyone.

Ken frowned slightly as he felt a slight pain in his stomach. Ken wasn't a personal fan of getting those cramps he'd been getting lately. He hoped he didn't catch something worse than the flu. Ken, unconsciously, raised his hand to rub his stomach. As he did so, he noticed Naomichi and Shogo watching him. He didn't pay too much attention to them, but it made him feel a little uneasy.

"Ken, you need to see a doctor and get yourself checked out. You can't work like this." Ken glanced at Naomichi with a frown.

"I know," Ken said with a sigh. He figured he had to see one. The fainting, the cramps, and the nausea were starting to concern him. Ken wasn't sure if this was a normal flu. And he especially did not want to get within five feet of a hospital, but he had no choice in that matter. Daisuke would force him to go and Naomichi would refuse to let him return to work if he didn't get checked out.

Ken sighed and wondered what his boss was thinking. He was just watching him with a frown on his face. But in his eyes, Ken could tell there was something wrong. _Does Naomichi have an idea of what's wrong with me?_

"Ichijouji-san," Shogo spoke up, getting his attention.

"Hmm?"

"Would you feel better if I gave you the check up?"

Ken shifted nervously in his seat. He didn't want to go to a doctor. He was more or less terrified of them ever since his brother died there. But if Shogo was willing to do it, then maybe it was okay. He had known Shogo for many years now and trusted him with his life.

"Okay."

Shogo smiled. "Marvelous, let's head to the lab then and get some tests done."

Ken sighed as he slowly got up to avoid getting dizzy and followed Shogo out of Naomichi's office.

 


	2. Shocking News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ken is told he is pregnant. Takeru and Hikari comfort him.

_Ken Ichijouji-Motomiya_

_Odaiba Police Station, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Ken sighed in impatience as he heard the clicking and crunching sound of the keyboard. Ken frowned as he saw Shogo sorting through the different samples he collected for the tests, an X-ray he took for some reason (he wasn't sure why, but that kind of scared him), and his medical records. Ken blinked when he saw the name of the hospital that he was born in, showing up on the screen.

Ken raised a brow in curiosity when the doctor frowned. "Is something wrong, Hirose-sensei?"

Shogo glanced at him as he pressed the print button. "That depends on your definition of wrong," he said as he got up to collect the papers from the printer.

Ken frowned at him from where he currently sat on the table, watching the doctor worriedly. "What you mean? Did I catch something worse than the flu?"

"No, of course not," he reassured. "You are actually very healthy."

"Then what's wrong with me the then?" Ken asked in confusion. If he was so healthy, then why was he feeling so sick the last couple of days?

Shogo looked at the papers with a small frown on his features. "Ichijouji-san, tell me. Were you aware that you had surgery done on you when you were born?"

Ken's eyes widen in surprise. He had surgery done on him? Why his parents never told him this? "Surgery? For what?"

Shogo looked at him in concern. "According to your medical records, you were classified as a…"

"As a what, Sensei?" Ken asked panicky as Shogo trailed off.

Shogo sighed as he glanced at the records in his hands. "You were born as an intersexual, and your parents had made the request for you to be identified as a boy when you were born."

Ken felt the color drain from his face. _An intersexual? That means I have…_

"The X-ray and the tests confirm that you have working female's genitals."

Ken took a sharp intake of breath. _This can't be happening. Why hadn't Mama and Papa tell me about this? Didn't they think I had the right to know? I know they are mad at me and hate me. But didn't I have the right to know, to better protect myself? Why did they do this?_

"Then the nausea...and the cramps...and the fainting?" Ken asked shakingly. He didn't want to believe this. But, it all made sense, though. He had seen Hikari and Miyako go through the same things during their pregnancies. Why hadn't he put two and two together?

Shogo smiled slightly. "When you told us your symptoms, I was a bit shocked, so I wanted to conduct these tests just to be sure."

Ken swallowed nervously, feeling slightly lightheaded. "Then I really am…?"

"Yes, you are pregnant."

* * *

_Ken Ichijouji-Motomiya_

_Motomiya-Inoue Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Ken stared at the water weakly as the last of his breakfast and lunch was deposited into the water. Ken gripped the toilet weakly, wondering how it was even possible for him to be pregnant in the first place. He thought about his parents and then a feeling of anger filled him. Not wanting to add to the raging of emotions, he pushed it away to the corners of his mind.

Ken groaned weakly. He was thankful that Naomichi drove him home, usually, Meiji would have picked him up from work. He guessed it helped that it was the end of his shift anyway. But now Naomichi ordered him to stay home for a few days until he was feeling slightly better. Naomichi had also removed him from the field and had him on desk work for the rest of his pregnancy. Although, he pretty much did that already with the way the cases had been going.

Ken groaned. He hated feeling so weak. Ken moved to stand up and stumbled to the sink, holding the sides tightly in his shaking hands. He looked awful. Ken was too pale for his liking; his hair hung limply around his face, slightly dull violet eyes stared back at him in exhaustion, and his throat felt very rough and scratchy. He sighed as he turned on the water. He had been worrying all afternoon about what Daisuke would say about this. They hadn't really talked about it that much.

Ken wanted kids, there was no denying that. He had seen the love and joy the others got from their kids. Marriage and having children made them closer. This was definitely the case for Takeru and Hikari, and the rest of the Chosen. Ken had often dreamed of having his own child; though, it was more along the lines of adoption and not becoming pregnant himself. Ken hadn't talked to Daisuke about it yet, though.

But now, he was worried and scared. He was scared of what his husband might think. They had only been married for three months, and here he was...pregnant...with Daisuke's child. Ken felt himself getting nauseous again.

"Ken-chan?" Ken rushed back to the toilet to deposit what little food he had left in his stomach, feeling incredibly guilty that the sandwich Wormmon made him was now floating in the pool of water.

Ken coughed at the foul taste in his mouth and glanced weakly at his partner as he crawled up to his shoulder to pull his hair back. "Sorry," Ken said in a hoarse whisper. "So much for the sandwich."

Wormmon frowned at him in concern. "It's fine, Ken-chan. Maybe, I should have given you soup instead."

Ken groaned as he pulled the lever to flush the toilet. He watched in relief as the water drained the contents of his stomach far, far away from him. "Maybe," Ken groaned weakly. "But, I don't think it will stay down."

Wormmon sighed. "Ken, you haven't really eaten or slept for three days now. I really think we should call one of the others." Ken opened his mouth to protest, to say that he was perfectly fine but paused when he saw Wormmon's pleading blue eyes.

"Okay, call Hikari-chan and Takeru-kun then. They should be out of work and picked up Hanako and Akira from school by now," Ken said tiredly as he thought about the fraternal twins, eleven-year-olds. A small smile crossed his face as he thought about the children. He and Daisuke were the only ones to marry last due to the government now legalizing same sex marriage. He smiled softly at the memory. It was the best day of his life.

Ken sighed weakly as he stared at his own reflection. Ken vaguely wondered what the others would think when they find out. He wasn't sure if he was ready for the responsibility of taking care of a child. What if he killed the child? What if he died while giving birth? What if Daisuke didn't want the child and asked for an abortion? Ken bit his lip as he imagined the horrors that could happen to him and his unborn child.

Ken wasn't sure how long he stayed in the bathroom, freaking out and hurling whatever was left in his food deprived stomach. He knew Wormmon left to call Hikari and Takeru, but he wasn't expecting them to come so fast. Or maybe he just lost track of time while dying of nausea.

"Ken-kun?" Ken groaned weakly as he heard Hikari's voice. "Wormmon told me what happened. How are you feeling?" Warm brown eyes came into his vision. Hikari looked at him in concern as she dabbed the corners of his mouth, chin, and neck with a moistened washcloth that she picked up from the sink.

"Awful," Ken said before he began to cough. Hikari gave him a sympathetic smile as she opened a water bottle that he didn't realize she brought with her. Hikari gently placed the rim of the bottle to his cracked lips and tilted it. Ken sighed in relief as the water soothed the burning sensation that the vomiting left in its wake. "Thanks," Ken said after he drained half of the bottle.

"You're welcome, Ken," Hikari smiled as she rubbed his back. "Nausea is not fun, but trust me, it'll get better."

"I hope you're right, Hikari," Ken groaned as he leaned away from the toilet and into Hikari's offered embrace. "Where's Takeru and the twins?"

"Takeru is in the kitchen, making you some soup, and the twins are at Oniichan and Meiko's house, Hikari replied as she held him gently. Ken closed his eyes and tried to focus on his breathing. "Does Daisuke-kun know?"

"No, I just found out today." Ken opened his eyes and glanced at Hikari. Hikari had a warm smile on her face. Her brown eyes reflected her obvious concern for his wellbeing. Ken depicted other emotions as well. Sadness was reflected; he assumed it was the fact that his parents had hidden something this big from him (not that the pain of them abandoning was less painful, but still). But Hikari had the same radiant, brightness in her eyes when gay marriage became legal for him and Daisuke, and when they finally got married. She was overjoyed to learn that Ken and Daisuke would be having their own little bundle of joy in the coming months. "Do you think he'll be happy?" Ken asked hesitantly. "We never talked about having a child before."

"I'm sure he will. You guys helped Miyako-chan raise Meiji when that jerk dumped her back in high school. I have no doubt he'll be thrilled to have your child."

Ken smiled at her warm response. He felt a warm feeling in his chest at the reminder of the jet black haired, twenty-year-old. Ken remembered that day vividly. He was pretty shocked to learn that Miyako dated one of the basketball jocks out of jealousy. But he looked passed it when Miyako was left alone to raise the jet black haired, brown eyed child. Miyako was one of his friends and he refused to abandon her in her time of need.

Meiji had actually grown to be a nice young man. It was amusing how he ended up being more like his mother in attitude and personally wise; meaning he was blunt and harshly honest, and maybe quick to judge at times. Meiji was a lovely man and was more than happy to help support them when Daisuke bought a decent size lot to build a two-family, western style condo house. Ken loved that Meiji and Miyako lived in the story above them. Meiji always seemed to visit every day, before and after work. However, Meiji had a hostile grudge towards his birth father; it was a bit concerning. At least he had Falcomon to keep his temper in check.

Ken sighed as he rubbed his stomach. Ken mused silently, wondering what his child would look like and what Digimon he or she would get? What would the child be like and look like? Would it be more like him or Daisuke or a mixture of both? Ken was soon startled out of his thoughts when he felt Hikari's hand on his. He glanced at her and was taken aback by her warm, understanding expression. It was like she knew what he was thinking.

"It's amazing isn't it?" she asked. "Having a small life growing inside of you? It's a miracle to even give birth to such lovely children." Hikari had a soft smile on her features as she spoke. Ken had a feeling that she was thinking about her own kids. "You will feel a deep connection when she starts growing."

Ken blinked in confusion. _She? How does she even know that?_ "But Hikari-chan, I'm only a couple weeks in. How could you know it's a girl?" Ken asked in confusion. Hikari gave him a smile in response.

"Trust me. It's a she." Hikari gazed at his stomach briefly before returning her eyes back to him. "Ken, I know this is a big shock to you. I can't completely understand what you are going through."

"You mean the fact that my parents hid this from me?" Ken asked dryly as he stared at his stomach, touching it gently. "I understand Papa. He hates me. But Mama...?"

"Yeah, I can't say I agree with what they did; nor do I want to understand their reasons. However, having your daughter growing inside of you does have its benefits." Ken looked at her. "You will feel connected to her. You will have this deep attachment that not even Daisuke-kun will have. Children are a gift, Ken. One that we will help you with."

Ken felt the tears build up in his eyes. "Thanks. You've always been there for me."

Hikari laughed softly. "I've told you years ago that we are the same. We might have our own issues to deal with, but that doesn't mean we have to do it alone. We have each other to lean on as well as the others." She smiled as she helped him up off the tile floor. "We did promise to protect and support each other."

Ken laughed his time, feeling much better then he had hours before. Ken allowed Hikari to guide him back to the dining room. Ken leaned on her as she supported his weight. Ken took a few deep breaths as he fought against the fatigue and exhaustion.

As they entered the living room, Ken eyed the three gray sofas with longing. Each sofa had a ton of mismatch pillows. It annoyed Ken to no end on how they clashed with each other, but it expressed both him and Daisuke perfectly. Ken didn't have the heart to disturb their resting place. Ken sighed as they left the living room. He really wanted to sleep for about a week. He needed it so badly.

"How you feel, Ken-kun?" Ken blinked as he heard Takeru's voice from the kitchen. Hikari eased him into a white cushion chair when they enter the dining room.

The dining room and kitchen spelled Daisuke. The room had a huge white marble table with intricate designs graved into the corners, which had eight chairs surrounding it. The walls were painted a dark blue. A bold white brightened the room as it decorated the trimmings, while a dark gold brightened the ceiling.

Daisuke decorated the walls with pictures of their friends, during elementary and high school. In one of the pictures, Miyako was seen smiling with her baby in her arms. A white wooden bar cabinet counter was stationed against the right wall. The little cabinet was stacked with expensive wines that Daisuke collected when he traveled to America and other countries during work. On the left wall, Ken had different china that Hikari, Miyako, and Sora gave him as a housewarming and wedding gift.

"Better than I did before," Ken told Takeru as he entered the dining room with a steaming bowl of soup, and with three Digimon behind him. Ken smiled faintly as he spotted Tailmon and Patamon.

"I thought guys couldn't get pregnant," Patamon commented as he landed on the table. Ken turned his gaze to the soup as Tailmon whacked him with her paw.

"You mourn! There are some males who can get pregnant, but it's very rare!"

Ken eyed the soup warily. He wasn't sure if the soup would stay in his stomach. The food looked really good. But he was very hesitant; he didn't want to run to the bathroom again when the food was rejected.

"It's alright. Just eat it," Takeru said as he and Hikari sat in the chairs next to him. Ken looked up when Takeru placed his hand over his. "Obaasan created this soup to fight against nausea. Trust me; you will be able to eat this without any problems."

"He right," Hikari added with a smile. "I had this soup a lot when I was pregnant with the twins."

Ken glanced at the soup hesitantly as he picked up the spoon. He glanced up again to see both of his friends and the three Digimon giving him encouraging nods and smiles. Ken swallowed nervously as his eyes swept to his partner. Wormmon gave him an encouraging smile.

"Try it, Ken-chan. I know you will feel better after this."

With a defeated sigh, Ken dipped the spoon into the yellow soup and slowly brought it to his lips. Ken felt the hot liquid make its way towards his empty stomach. Ken waited a few seconds in between bite, waiting for the strong wave of nausea to overcome him. When none came, he continued eating, suddenly realizing that he was starving. Ken mentally thanked whatever god that heard him when he managed to eat the soup without incident. When he finished he sighed in relief and looked at his friends.

Takeru had a smile plastered on his face as he leaned back in his chair; his arms were folded across his chest as he did so. "Feeling better?" he asked, his voice showing his concern.

"Yeah," Ken said with a smile. He really was feeling better. "Thanks, guys."

"It's not a problem," Takeru said. "I'm just glad the kitchen is always stocked with ingredients. You think Daisuke is running a restaurant in here." Ken laughed at that.

"Yeah, maybe. I just think he likes to spoil me, though."

Takeru smiled warmly. "That and your unborn child."

Ken's laugh died down into a weak smile. Ken didn't know how to feel about that. He was scared about having a child growing inside of him. He had seen plenty of news and cases to know that not many males survive giving birth, considering their bodies were not made for it.

"Yeah," Ken said softly as his gaze shifted towards the table. He knew he had nothing to be afraid of, but it still scared him. Ken didn't move when Takeru placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it's going to be alright."

"How? What if I die from this?"

"You are not going to die, Ken," Takeru said firmly. "I know you're scared right now. I don't know what I would do if I was in your position. But you are not alone in this. We are going to help you; _we_ all are going to help you get through this." Takeru stressed the 'we' as he spoke, most likely suggesting all the Chosen and not just him and Hikari. Ken looked up at them with tears in his eyes. "You are not alone Ken, never alone."

Ken took a shuddering breath as the tears began to fall down his cheeks. He wasn't sure why he was cry; he just was. Ken knew he could rely on his friends, that he wasn't alone anymore. But the fear of losing everything was still there. It happened once when he lost his brother. And then again when Wormmon sacrificed himself to save him from himself. And then yet again when he was brainwashed and forced to do mundane things, and almost completely forgetting who he really was in the process.

Ken realized he couldn't stop the tears or the sobs that left him. He was filled with so many different raw emotions; he couldn't process them all. Ken was more than glad when both Hikari and Takeru embraced him. Ken felt so safe in their embrace as he allowed himself to give into the sadness, the fear, the shock, the confusion, the relief and happiness that he was feeling all at once. Ken soaked in every word and promise they made as his emotions took over his senses. Ken allowed himself to hold on to the promises of protection and support close to his heart as his consciousness gave way to the sleep he most desperately needed.

 


	3. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meiji and Daisuke come home to figure out what was wrong with Ken. Daisuke is very confused and very worried when Meiji doesn't give him a direct answer.

_Meiji Inoue_

_Motomiya-_ _Inoue_ _Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Meiji had always admired Ken Ichijouji. He was an excellent man and father figure. Meiji loved to think of Ken as his father, and not that man that left them just because he could. He really loathed that man. Despite being fifteen or so at the time, Ken was willing to help his mother take care of him. Ken treated him like a member of his own family. Meiji was thankful for that.

When he was just a child, Meiji thought Ken was amazing. He was a teenager taking care of a small child with his single mother. Ken didn't seem bothered by this. He was deeply concerned for his mother and him and did everything he could to help support them. Meiji figured that was why he admired him so much. Ken was kind and caring without a doubt. He may have had an unpleasant past, but he managed to get passed it and moved on. Though, Meiji loathed the forces of Darkness because of the pain and suffering it caused.

He loved his surrogated father even more than he did as a child. Ken was such a wonderful person to be with. Meiji remembered watching Ken as he prepared for his finals as a Criminal Justice major. Meiji thought it suited him to want to be a Police Officer. From all the stories he heard and with all the love Ken showed to both him and his mother, he could see Ken saving lives and stopping bad guys. Ken often expressed that he didn't want others to end up like him.

Meiji couldn't help but smile at that. His father might have been a jerk, but Ken was something else. He couldn't describe it. He just felt that Ken deserved so much more than what he currently had. It wasn't like he disapproved of Ken's relationship with Daisuke. Actually, he could see that they loved each other dearly and that they completed each other. However, Meiji didn't like that gay marriage were such an issue in the eyes of the law until it was finally legalized. He guessed some people were still living in the old days in were marriages were between man and woman.

Meiji was generally happy when Daisuke proposed that very night. It was a heartwarming sight to see Ken so shocked and happy at the same time. It was always a treasure to see Ken crying happy tears and smiling brightly.

Meiji smiled at the memory as he drove into the driveway of the two-story house. Although, to be more actuate, the house was really a very spacious condo. The outside was made of bricks, cement, and blue panels. The inside, on the other hand, was huge and spacious. Daisuke had a gathering room built when everyone gathers together. From the gathering room, there was a staircase to go to the floor he and his mother lived on. On the first floor with the gathering room was Ken and Daisuke's living area, their offices, five extra bedrooms with walk-in closets and personal bathrooms, and a glass door that led to the backyard. The second was the same with the exception of having one office. His mother had the office, not him.

In both of the living areas, there was a large living room, a large kitchen, a large dining room for meals, a master bedroom with walk-in closet (he has his own bedroom on the second floor), a master bath, and an extra room for the Digimon (but they never use it).

The land that Daisuke built the house on was huge, closed in to allow privacy and surround by a gate to keep unwanted people away (of course, Daisuke had never gotten around to hooking up the security system yet, despite Ken's constant reminder). There weren't any neighbors for about a yard or two, considering the huge amount of land Daisuke bought. Behind the house, was the yard. The yard and surround area had Daisuke's vegetable gardens (a few actually) and Ken's flower and herb gardens. There was plenty of space for the Digimon and children to play in and had their own designated spot for it. Daisuke had a nice outdoor picnic area for when the other Chosen come over for meetings or to hang out and they also had a storage shed. Meiji sometimes couldn't believe that Daisuke built this for them.

Daisuke was such a nice and caring person; though, a bit too cheerful and loud for his liking. Daisuke reminded him too much of his mother. The two were so alike that he wondered why they didn't get married in the first place. Then again, the two fought more often then Falcomon could clean his shurikens.

Meiji opened the door to the house and went inside. Meiji walked down the white tan walls with purple swirls hallway (instead of taking the stairs to his floor); he made his way to Ken and Daisuke's front door. Meiji was a bit worried when Ken's called, telling him that his boss was taking him home early. Meiji frowned at that as he rang the doorbell. Meiji enjoyed spending time with his surrogate father, so it was enjoyable when he picked Ken up after work (good thing he scheduled his classes to end when Ken gets out of work). He and Ken often discussed what he did in his Criminal Justice class and, in turn, Ken gave him plenty of tips and insight. However, Ken was home fairly early today. He wondered if everything was okay.

"Coming!" Meiji blinked at the voice. _What's Hikari doing here?_ The sound of a lock opening was heard a few seconds later before the door was pulled open. On the other side was indeed Hikari Takaishi. Hikari's warm brown eyes were gazing at him softly as she tucked a long brown strand behind her ear. "Meiji, it's so good to see you."

"Nice to see you too, Hikari-obasan. Is Papa here?" Meiji had been calling Ken 'Papa' since he was three (which annoyed Daisuke greatly) and he saw no need to stop after all this time. The other adults actually found it amusing how he latched onto Ken when he was little. Though, his mother often sighed when he did it. Why? He wasn't sure. Then again, Miyako was very hard to understand at times.

"He is," she told him. "He's asleep right now. Please come in." Meiji frowned slightly at that as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Is he okay? He seemed sick on the phone when he called me." Meiji followed Hikari into the living room, where Takeru, Patamon, and Tailmon were gathered around the TV.

"He's fine now," Hikari said with a small smile. Meiji looked at her with a frown still graced on his features. _Something is wrong here. If Papa is fine, then why are they here? And why is he fast asleep?_

"What's going on, Hikari-obasan? I know this is not a social call. You guys didn't bring the twins, and Okaasan and Daisuke-ojisan won't be here for another two hours." Meiji took a seat on one of the sofas directly across from Hikari and Takeru. Meiji crossed his legs over his knee as the two adults looked at each other.

"I think this is something Ken-kun should tell you," Takeru stated, uncertainly. "This is pretty big news."

Hikari frowned at her husband. "I don't think that's a good idea. He's going to need to know, dear. We have to get going too."

Takeru sighed, while he asked, "Tell me what?"

Meiji looked at them questioningly, but it was Patamon who spoke. "Ken is pregnant!"

_What?_

* * *

_Daisuke_ _Motomiya_

 _Motomiya-_ _Inoue_ _Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Daisuke was more than a little concern when he got home. He had gotten a text from Miyako congratulating him for something, a voicemail from Jou to call him back, and a voicemail from Ken's boss. Both Senoo and Jou may have mentioned that it was about Ken's health and that he was sent home early for reasons they would not tell him. That, of course, worried him, making him go home to his husband all that much quicker.

Daisuke thought back to the last couple of days. Ken had been very sick in the morning, and couldn't seem to keep any of the food he made in his stomach. At first, Daisuke thought it was the flu. When Ken didn't show any signs of being sick that morning, he thought he was all better. However, maybe he was wrong. What if Ken caught something worse than the flu and he hadn't seen it in time?

Daisuke hastily searched for his key in his jacket pocket and attempted to open the door. V-mon stood by him with a concerned look on his face when he dropped it. "Stupid key," Daisuke muttered as V-mon picked it up for him. "Thanks, buddy," he thanked as he managed to get the key in the keyhole and opened it with a click.

Lights could be seen from down the hall and the sound of the TV could be heard. Daisuke looked on with a frown.

"Ken?"

He didn't hear Ken's beautiful voice at all. Usually, Ken would call out from the kitchen or the living room, letting Daisuke know where he was. However, there was nothing but silence. This was not like Ken at all.

"Ken? Are you here?" Where was his husband? Was he okay?

"He's asleep." Daisuke was a bit surprised to see Meiji as he entered the living room, usually he would be upstairs by now. The young man's brown eyes shifted to him as he walked in. "We have to talk about Papa, Daisuke-ojisan."

If it was any other day, Daisuke would have teased that Ken wasn't the only one who raised him. However, the serious tone just made him scared inside. Daisuke walked towards the sofa and sat next to Miyako's son.

"What's wrong with Ken? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. Takeru-ojisan gave him some soup to help soothe his stomach." Daisuke frowned. He wondered why Takeru's soup was able to help his husband, while his only cause Ken to get more sick.

"So, he got sick again." Daisuke didn't form it as a question; it was merely a statement, a fact. But Meiji still nodded in response.

"Yup," Meiji said as he clicked the TV off. Meiji shifted in his seat so that his right knee was on the sofa. "I found out from Hikari-obasan and Takeru-ojisan why Papa kept getting nauseous."

"What they say?" Daisuke asked, worry lacing his words.

"From what Wormmon told them, Papa passed out while briefing his boss on whatever case he is working on. When he came to, Papa was ordered to get checked out by Hirose-sensei."

Daisuke looked at Meiji in concern. He was very worried now. Ken seemed fine this morning. But if he passed out during work, then this could be bad. He didn't think of the possibility of losing Ken to some kind of sickness. Ken was far too stubborn and healthy for that to happen. However, he couldn't stop his voice from trembling.

"W-what happened?"

Meiji looked at him with a grave expression. His eyes burning with anger. "Papa's parents had him go through surgery when he was just a baby," he spat angrily.

 _Surgery?_ Daisuke's mind swirled around that awful word. _If Ken went through surgery at such a young age, could he be feeling the effects of it? Did it have long term effects that are now affecting him now?_ That thought scared him greatly.

"What type of surgery?" Daisuke asked.

Meiji looked at him with a shrug. "Not sure. Papa would have to tell you that." Daisuke groaned at that. He knew Meiji knew more than he was letting on. But he didn't say anything about it.

Daisuke leaned back against the sofa and stared at the photograph of their wedding day. Ken looked so beautiful in his white tux, purple shirt, and tie. Ken looked so happy on their wedding day (and the honeymoon wasn't too bad either). Daisuke worried that this surgery could put a damper on Ken's happiness. _What is happening to you, Ken? Please be alright._

"Daisuke-ojisan, do you want kids?"

Daisuke blinked and furrowed his brows in confusion. _Where that question come from?_ Daisuke removed his eyes from the picture to look at Meiji. "Well, yeah. I helped raised you, didn't I?" Daisuke replied with a teasing smirk.

Meiji rolled his eyes. "I'm serious, Daisuke-ojisan. Do you or do you not want kids?"

"Of course, I want children," Daisuke replied with a frown as he crossed his arms over his chest. He stared at the young man with a searching stare. "I have wanted kids for awhile now. However, adoption is a tricky business and very time-consuming. I'm not sure if Ken is willing to go through with that process." Meiji nodded in response. Daisuke narrowed his eyes as he saw Meiji smile the same way Miyako did when she knew some he didn't. "Why you ask?"

"No reason," Meiji replied with a huge smile as he got up. "I should get home before Okaasan starts banging on your door." Daisuke scoffed at that.

"I can handle Miyako."

Meiji laughed. "I don't know about that. Though, I don't think Papa would appreciate you two fighting and breaking another one of his china."

Daisuke pouted childishly. "That fight was not my fault! Your mother started that fight and it was one flowery plate!"

"You shouldn't have said that dress made her look fat," Meiji chided. "And that plate was a gift from Papa's okaasan," he pointed out.

Daisuke flinched slightly at the reminder. He never thought Ken could be any more scarier than his Kaiser days. And it certainly didn't help that V-mon ended up breaking a couple of vases in addition to what he and Miyako broke. Ken was furious and would not calm down until they called Hikari for help.

Daisuke didn't move when Meiji started moving to leave. He was to engross in the scary memory to even comment or move from his spot.

"Oh, and Daisuke-ojisan," Meiji called from the hall. "Make sure you tell Papa you want kids and to have him explain what happened at work." Before Daisuke's mind could process what he said and have him react, Meiji opened the front door and closed it behind him.

Daisuke could only blink dumbfoundedly in response. "What just happened?" V-mon asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm…not sure." And that was true. Daisuke had no idea what just transpired, but he did know one thing. He and Ken were going to have an interesting conversation in the morning.


	4. Nightmares of the Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke comforts his husband as Ken experiences two nightmares. But what triggered them? And what did it have to do with Ken's parents and the World of Darkness?

_Ken Ichijouji-Motomiya_

_Motomiya-Inoue Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Ken snuggled closer to his husband as he slept. He could feel his husband bare chest under his fingertips. Reminding him that he was there with him and not somewhere in the forest of the Digital World, running away from him. But that knowledge did not register in his mind as his body began to grow stiff and rigged, and his breathing began to pick up a bit as his peaceful dream shattered, changed and shifted to something unpleasant.

_The bright green forest of Fire Island seemed endless. He wasn't sure how long he'd been walking. Hours, maybe. He frowned as he moved a branch away from the path he was walking before it ended up hitting him in the face. He would have sworn his husband passed through here. Why did Daisuke have to run off right when he was about to tell him about their baby? And leaving him alone for that matter! His husband knew he didn't like being left alone like that._

_Ken continued walking, feeling slightly irritated towards his husband for being so tactless and leaving him alone. Ken eyed the forest warily as he walked deeper into the forest. As he continued walking, however, he realized that he was starting to feel uneasy. Ken couldn't pinpoint why he felt this way, though. He walked through the forest near the Village of Beginnings tons of times with the other Chosen when they were kids. However, something just didn't feel right to him. Something about this part of the forest felt off. Ken glanced at the forest nervously. Maybe going this far into the forest was a bad idea, especially since the sun was going down and everything was starting to look the same._

_"Daisuke! Where are you?" Ken yelled, hoping Daisuke wasn't too far. He really wanted to go home now._

_Ken got no response. Ken pouted; he wondered if Daisuke was playing a trick on him. But why wasn't his husband answering him? There was no way he managed to get that far so quickly. He was just behind him a few moments ago._

_Ken quickened his pace, feeling more uneasy than before. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he feared for his husband. He hoped Daisuke didn't get himself into trouble again. Qinglongmon knows what trouble he'd gotten himself into this time._

_Ken paused as he heard an unfamiliar whisper. Ken glanced behind him, suddenly feeling unsure. But there was nothing there, other than the endless trees. Ken blinked his eyes in confusion as he noticed something odd about the trees. Were the trees always so gray? Ken frowned. Was it really that late out?_

_Ken bit his lip as he returned his attention to the direction Daisuke went. Ken resumed his walking nervously. Something was definitely wrong. Were those trees always so dark and gray? Ken had a very bad feeling that he could be in danger or something. Ken shook his head to clear his thoughts. Maybe he was just imagining things. It wouldn't be the first time. He often got panicky ever since that confrontation with his parents back in Junior High, followed by them disowning him in front of his friends. Ken frowned, refusing to dwell on the past. He had to keep going. He had to find his husband and fast. He could be in danger._

_"It is time."_

_Ken stopped in his tracks and stiffened as he heard a deep voice hissing from behind him. He quickly looked behind him again. There was no one there. What was going on? Where was that voice coming from?_

_"Wh-Who's there?" he asked, his voice shook a bit as his eyes swept the forest frantically. Something didn't feel right. Was he hearing things now? And were the trees and plants getting more darker?_

_"We have waited so long for you." The voice sounded like a hissing viper. It made him shiver in a fear that he hadn't felt in so long. Something about the voice made him very uneasy and scared. It was like he heard it before, and yet, at the same time, he never heard it in his life._

_"Daisuke?" Ken knew it wasn't his husband. But who else could it be? "Is that you?"_

_Ken took a step forward and shivered when a cold wind began whipping around the forest violently._

_"The Light has tainted you." Ken flinch as the wind around him got frigid. Ken bit his lip as he looked around frantically. He had no idea where that voice was coming from. Or who it was for that matter. He had no idea what was going. But right now, all he wanted was his husband. He didn't want to be alone anymore._

_"Daisuke! Where are you?" Ken yelled fearfully as the trees began to turn into a familiar shade of gray, followed by the sound of waves reaching his ears._

_Ken staggered back, his eyes going wide in horror. "No! No! No! No!" Ken wasn't sure when he started running for his life or when he started screaming for his husband as tears began stinging his eyes. All he knew was the frightening voice laughing behind him as the Digital World shifted into the World of Darkness. "Not again! Not again!" Ken ignored the tears as he ran._

_There was no wonder why he couldn't find his husband. Daisuke was not in this world. He was in the Digital World, without any idea of the danger Ken was in._

_"We will have you again!" the voice hissed over Ken's screams._

_"NO! Daisuke, help me!" he cried before the ground disappeared from under his feet._

_"My King," was the last thing he heard as he fell into the endless darkness._

_"DAISUKE!"_

* * *

_Daisuke Motomiya_

_Motomiya-Inoue Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Daisuke was not a morning person. That was very obvious to everyone that knew him. He hated waking up early in the morning when he was a kid. The only time he actually did it without a problem was when he had a football game or when he had to catch the bus to Ken's apartment. But now that he was married and lived with the love of his life, he rarely got up very early in the morning; considering he did most of his meetings at his home office and only went out on the field with V-mon when he had a meeting or when he need to take over for one of his employees in his Odaiba-Tamachi branch. He wasn't going to stay home all day, while Ken was at work. That was just boring!

At that very moment, however, he really didn't appreciate his body forcing him to wake up at an ungodly hour in the morning. Besides, he was having such a pleasant dream too. He was dreaming about taking Ken to a romantic picnic in the Digital World. In the dream, they were at a nice clearing at Fire Island. They were eating chocolate cake for dessert when his dream-self moved forward to wipe away some chocolate frosting off Ken's bottom lip. He was about to kiss those soft, pink lips when Ken suddenly pulled away. His dream-self had looked at him in concern. Ken seemed stiff and unresponsive; it as like someone put the pause button on him. His dream-self was about to ask if something was wrong when he suddenly heard the piercing scream of his husband calling for him. And then the dream shattered and faded away.

Daisuke didn't like the screams that echoed in his head as he was thrown out of his dream. As much as he didn't like waking up in the middle of the morning, he knew something was wrong with his husband. He could still hear the frightening screams of his lover as he returned to wakefulness. Daisuke slowly opened his eyes and tried to focus his blurry vision on the red digital numbers that was projected on the ceiling. He frowned when he managed to make out 2:26 am.

He yawned and tried to blink the sleep out of his eyes. _Damn, Daisuke, it's too damn early in the morning. The sun is not even out yet! Why are you waking up this early?_ Daisuke only had a split second to ponder those questions before a fearful moan registered into his ears.

"…N…Noooo…D…Dai…suke…"

Hearing Ken's soft voice, laced with so much fear, seemed to flick a switch inside him. Usually, Daisuke loved waking up in the morning and seeing his husband tucked under his arm, his head resting peacefully on his bare chest, his breath slow and steady as he dreamed. However, as his mind switched from his sleeping state to fully awake, he became fully aware of the terrified whimpers and moans and trembling form of his husband.

"Ken-chan? Ken! Wake up!" Daisuke gently shook Ken's shoulder. Ken wouldn't wake up.

_Keso, I hope he's not having that dream again._

* * *

_Ken Ichijouji-Motomiya_

_Motomiya-Inoue Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Ken knew he should probably wake up. That would have been the most logical choice. But as the ground of the World of Darkness collapsed under him, allowing him to fall into the endless darkness, Ken realized that was harder said then done. Ken was barely aware of the tremors coursing through his body or the fearful whimpers and moans leaving his lips. The fact that Daisuke was groaning as a result of his restlessness did not register at all in his mind. Ken couldn't know because he could no longer feel his husband presence as he fell deeper and deeper into the black void.

But that wasn't what scared him. It wasn't the fact that he could be potentially waking Daisuke or the Digimon up in the middle of the night. It wasn't the fact that he wasn't aware of his husband's voice trying to wake him up. No, it was what horrifying nightmare he was being thrown into next.

As he was thrusted into the nightmare, Ken found himself crying. Ken hadn't had this nightmare in years. Though, it was more of a long forgotten memory that he never wanted to relive. It was horrifying and painful and it had made him feel so small and worthless the first time around. Having to relive it every time he closed his eyes back in Junior High and High School was not fun. It didn't really help either that it happened a month after the virus incident. It also didn't help that he was disowned shortly after.

The pain the memory brought shook him so much that it paralyzed him in fear. Ken didn't want to relive this. He didn't want to remember. He wasn't fourteen anymore. He was safe in his husband's arms. He didn't want to relive being in that evil hospital. He didn't want to remember what they did to him. He was safe. He's married and was going to have a child (which he still needed to tell Daisuke about). He was not along. Why won't he wake up?

_"Mama! Papa! Don't go!" The white tile walls of the hospital felt endless and narrow and the smell of unknown medicine made him feel dizzy. Ken tried running after his parents, but it seemed like he was getting nowhere. The faster he ran, the farther they seemed to be. Tears fell freely down his cheeks as fear clouded his senses. His parents were leaving him at a Gay Correction Hospital. They wanted him to be fixed. They were leaving him alone!_

_"Come back, please!" Ken's cries didn't seem to slow them down at all. They kept on walking and walking. Away from him. Away from the frightening hospital. Away from their burden. How was he not able to catch up to them yet?_

_"Don't leave me here alone." Ken choked down a sob as he tripped and fell to his knees. The tears fell down as he got to his feet and looked up. He was now, somehow, in the lobby. His parents were at the open door, looking right at him. His father's eyes had the look of disgust and disappointment. Ken turned his gaze away from him and tried pleading with his mother. To help him, to not leave him at the frightening hospital. However, she would not budge. Sad eyes just stared back at him before turning her back to him._

_Ken found himself breaking down into sobs as they left through the glass door. They left him. They couldn't accept that he was gay. But why? Why were they doing this to him?_

_Ken tried to get up. He wanted to go after them, to make them change their minds; but strong hands held him down. They painfully grabbed his arms and dragged him into a semi-dark room with only one bulb serving as a source of light. Ken cried and struggled to get free as four faceless doctors strapped him to a bed. Ken couldn't stop the flow of tears as one of the doctors held a syringe with some kind of colorless liquid in his gloved hand, while another cut the sleeve of his school uniform, revealing skin._

_Ken screamed in pure horror as the faceless doctor prepared to inject him with what he assumed was a drug. Ken pulled at his restraints as the needle got closer and closer. The two other doctors held him down, keeping him from moving. The needle was just about to break the skin when..._

"KEN, WAKE UP! IT'S JUST A NIGHTMARE!"

* * *

_Daisuke Motomiya_

_Motomiya-Inoue Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Daisuke growled under his breath. He absolutely hated seeing Ken crying, especially if it was tears of fear or sadness. Even when they were kids, he never really liked seeing those violet eyes glistening with tears. So seeing his husband sobbing in his sleep and having him begging for his parents not to leave him, really put him on edge. He hated what Ken's parents did to him twenty-two years ago. After they pretty much abandoned him, Ken had been almost a broken, traumatized shell of himself. Daisuke hated them, even 'till this day.

Ken had gotten so far with his recovery and at times it felt as if Ken had put the past behind him and almost completely forgotten about what happened. Ken hadn't had a relapse or nightmare about that hospital or his parents for over ten years now. So why now? What could have triggered those long forgotten memories?

Daisuke shook his head to clear it. He had to help Ken first. He could question it later.

Daisuke restrained Ken on the bed. He didn't want Ken to hurt himself in his current state, especially since he was a cop and could easily knock him out if he wanted to. He did vaguely worry that all the noise might have woken up the Digimon sleeping in the living room, but he pushed that thought away for now. "KEN, WAKE UP! IT'S JUST A NIGHTMARE!"

Thankfully, his words managed to cut through Ken's sleeping state, allowing him to wake up with a gasp. Daisuke felt his heart cringe in worry as Ken stared at him with fear. Daisuke gently eased up on his hold and pulled Ken into a hug. Ken's arms immediately wrapped around his waist as he sobbed into his shoulder.

Daisuke gently held Ken's trembling body close to him as he rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Shhh. It's okay. I'm here. I'm here." Daisuke ignored the hot trails of tears that slid down his bare shoulder and chest. His main focus was to calm Ken down. Or at least enough so he could tell him about the nightmare and hopefully get him to go back to sleep. Daisuke already knew it was one of those nights. His body and mind were already alert and wide awake. It was as if this body and mind knew that there was no time for rest. Ken was very distraught and very distressed from whatever nightmare he just had.

Daisuke got more comfortable on the bed as he rested his back on the headboard. He gently pulled his distraught husband onto his lap and allowed him to comfortably sob into his arms like he wanted to. Daisuke held back an annoyed huff as muffled words began coming out of Ken's mouth between his sobs. Daisuke had a feeling that Ken was saying them unknowingly. They were just coming out with his raging, frantic emotions. _It must have been pretty bad,_ he thought sadly as he whispered soothing words into his husband's ear.

Daisuke glared at the ceiling, feeling his own raging emotions (mostly anger) wanting to escape as the jumble of words reached his ears.

"…Dark…ness…Mama…Hospital…World of…Alone…Alone…Darkness…Drug…Doc…tor…Faceless…"

Daisuke gritted his teeth, but kept his temper in check. He hated that Ken had _that_ nightmare. Daisuke wasn't sure if he could ever forgive himself for allowing Ken to slip through his fingers and making him go through that hell alone. Ken was too sensitive and caring. He should have never gone through that.

"Shhh, love. Shhh," he murmured into Ken's ear. Daisuke was still furious that Ken had to go through that. _No thanks to them,_ he thought bitterly. But he was glad when Ken's trembling was beginning to subside. "It's okay Ken-chan. You're not alone. I'm here. I promised that I'll never leave you."

Daisuke continued to whisper words of comfort as Ken held him a little tighter. Ken was very strong, in his opinion, considering he was a cop (and a good one at that!) and had the strength and agility to prove it. As much as Daisuke worried about his husband (especially when Ken, Stingmon, and his team chased bad guys almost on a daily basis) he knew Ken could take care of himself. Although, he knew Ken was going to feel very guilty when he sees the slight bruising from the death-like grip he was holding him in.

Daisuke ignored it, though. Daisuke could take the slight discomfort, as long as it helped his husband calm down. However, Ken was not in the right mind yet and the words that spilled out of his mouth made him want to punch a wall.

"…They…they left me…" he said in between sobs. "I don't want…I don't want to be there…Don't…D-don't let them take me…I don't…"

Daisuke sighed and ran his hand through Ken's silky dark navy blue hair. He remembered Ken having those reoccurring nightmares when they were fourteen (and didn't stop until they were in their last year of High School). It happened a month after the Virus Incident, he was at Ken's apartment, watching Ken as he tried to catch up on several weeks of homework that he missed while they were brainwashed by that crazy Ultimate. Daisuke had his own homework that needed to be done, but he couldn't concentrate on it. Daisuke's mind, at that moment, had been a raging roller coaster as he tried to figure out the best way to confess his feelings to his best friend. Sure, he'd been trying to figure out his feelings for his best friend and the fact that he was Bisexual for years now. He had a long talk with Jun after Ken got kidnapped by Oikawa (which was horrible, might he add. It felt like he was breaking inside!), but it still had taken him some time to truly understand his feelings.

Daisuke actually had wanted to confess the day they had been attacked by Alphamon. Unfortunately, that plan didn't go too well; considering they were not only brainwashed, but also affected by the virus that was changing Digimon's programming, as Koushiro put it. Although, Daisuke never thought the virus would make him want to act out his desire in public, in addition to attacking his friends. Daisuke still felt embarrassed that he had become very, very flirty and overprotective when it came to Ken. Of course, Ken never noticed and was oblivious; but that could have been because of the virus being amplified by the Dark Seed, turning him into the Kaiser one again (which was hot by the way, but he would never say that out loud) and by making the brainwashing ten times worse.

Daisuke sighed again as Ken's sobs began to decrease a bit. He glared at the clock (noticing that an hour had passed by) as memories of that day replayed in his mind.

_"Motomiya-kun, is something wrong?" Daisuke blinked, realizing that he had been staring at Ken's reflection from his computer for the last twenty minutes and hadn't realized that Ken had asked him a question. He smiled nervously at his best friend as if he had been caught doing something wrong. Ken was staring at him with a concerned frown. Ken's legs were crossed over each other lazily. One arm was still resting comfortably on the desk, while the other was on the headrest of the chair. Ken's eyes were shining with concern, while his pink lips were curved down slightly._

_"Umm, yeah I'm fine. What you say?"_

_Ken was still frowning at him. "I said that I finished my paper and was asking if you still needed my help with your math homework." Oh, right. Ken was doing some kind of paper for his English Class. Wow, he worked fast! Or maybe it was because he knew he needed help. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked as he got off his chair and gracefully sat down next to him on the floor, his small ponytail swished lazily at the small motion._

_"I'm fine," Daisuke smiled, suddenly feeling very happy that Ken was now paying attention to him, even if it was for homework. "So, mind helping me with these Chicken Plots?"_

_Ken's lips curved up into an amused smile before he began laughing softly at his mispronounced name for the stupid mathematical term. "It's Box Plot, Motomiya."_

_"Right, right!" Daisuke was well aware what they were called. He just wanted that frown to go away. Besides, hearing Ken laugh was like listening to classical music. It was beautiful and unique. "Let's get to it then!"_

_Ken nodded and turned his gaze down to grab his textbook and notebook (to see what he did so far) when he froze. Daisuke blinked as Ken raised a navy brow to the tip of his bangs. Daisuke shifted his eyes to his notebook and froze as well. On the margin of his notebook were several doodles of Ken. He hadn't realized he'd been doodling his best friend while spacing out._

_"Umm, I can explain." Daisuke tried to keep the panic out of his voice. What would Ken think of him now?_

_Ken, surprisingly, ignored him (Ken never ignored him!) and simply ran a finger over one of the doodles. The doodle showed Ken staring at the computer screen with a calm expression. Ken was gently tracing over the small ponytail that Daisuke managed to draw with very fine detail. "Amazing." Wait, did Ken just say amazing? "You captured me so well." Ken then shifted his violet eyes to him. Daisuke didn't see disgust or hatred in those violet orbs, just awe and curiosity. There was also a light pink blush on Ken's cheeks as well. He wondered if that meant anything._

_"Really?" he asked and Ken nodded._

_"Why didn't you tell me you could draw like this?"_

_Daisuke shrugged at the question. "It's not that great." Ken pouted at his response._

_"That's not true! It's good!" he insisted before glancing back at the notebook. Daisuke saw Ken's eyes widening as he paused at the doodles near the bottom of the page. Daisuke felt the color drain from his face. On the bottom was a picture of Ken reading a book and he was surrounded by a heart. On the outside of the heart, he wrote: If only I can tell how much I love him. K & D forever._

_Daisuke didn't say anything as Ken slowly looked back at him. Daisuke swallowed nervously. Why did he have to write that? Now Ken might not want to see him again!_

_"Motomiya-kun?"_

_"Ken-kun, I understand if you don't feel the same way!" he blurted out._

_"Motomiya, I-"_

_"It's fine, really! I just hope we can still be friends!" He was not fine with it. But he ignored the pain in his heart. He could cry later._

_"Motomiya, I'm-"_

_"It's alright, really!" At least Ken was going to let him down gently. He was such a good person. "I'll just-"_

_"DAISUKE, DON'T JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS! I NEVER SAID I DIDN'T LIKE YOU!"_

_Daisuke was stunned, to say the least. It was very rare to see Ken lose his temper (or say his first name). He was usually quiet, soft-spoken, and patient (and never said his first name). So he was shocked into silence when Ken yelled at him (and actually said his first name). "Wha?" He turned to his friend questioningly. However, any questions he had disappeared when soft, warm lips pressed against his. It was a hesitant kiss, a little one; but that one kiss was better than what he'd been fantasizing for years._

_When Ken pulled away, his eyes looked away shyly. "I'm gay, Daisuke." Daisuke could not stop the huge grin that formed on his face. He was happy that Ken kissed him. It proved that Ken returned his feelings (and the fact he was still using his first name, even better). Although, the crimson blush on Ken's cheeks was also a good indication too._

_"Well, that explains why you always rejected those fan girls' confessions." Daisuke would not admit that he was jealous of those no good, annoying, heart sucking girls. Although, he did enjoy seeing them looking so disappointed and heartbroken (was he really that mean?) when Ken politely rejected them. He still wasn't sure how Ken could manage to stay patient and polite through all that._

_Ken looked at him shyly. "Well, I don't like girls in that way," he murmured. "What about you?"_

_"I'm Bi," he said proudly. Of course, the crush he had on Hikari was just that: a crush. He'd admit he was annoyed when Hikari stopped paying attention to him when Takeru entered the picture. He had misjudged it as love. However, when Ken came into the picture and after his long talk with his sister, he realized that he just liked Hikari, not love her. So, he wasn't that disturbed when she started dating Takeru about four weeks ago. "Do you want to go on a date with me?" he asked confidently and was happy to see the soft smile on Ken's face and his eyes brightening up in surprise and acceptance._

_Ken opened his mouth to respond, but they were both startled when his door slammed open. Daisuke turned towards the door and a sense of dread and fear filled him as he saw Ken's parents. Mrs. Ichijouji was pale and nervous as she stood behind her enraged husband. Mr. Ichijouji's eyes were narrowed slits as he glared at the both of them. Daisuke swallowed nervously as Mr. Ichijouji walked towards them. The air of his disgust and anger came off him in waves. Daisuke glanced at his best friend and saw that he was just as pale as his mother, and he looked absolutely frightened._

_Daisuke barely had a chance to think of a plan before Mr. Ichijouji painfully grabbed his arm, yanking him to his feet, and started to drag him out of Ken's room. This caused Ken to shake off his moment of fear. He jumped to his feet to help him._

_"Stop! You're hurting him!" Daisuke could only watch in disbelief as Mr. Ichijouji stopped to face his son. With still a strong hold on his arm, Mr. Ichijouji slapped Ken across the face. The force of Mr. Ichijouji's hand coming in contact with Ken's cheek was hard enough that it bounced off the walls. Ken fell to the ground with a startled gasp._

_"Lock him up," he ordered Mrs. Ichijouji. "I'll deal with him later." Daisuke couldn't imagine that this was happening. Ken's own parents hated gays and bi's. As he was dragged out, Daisuke managed to see Ken looking up from his place on the floor, while Mrs. Ichijouji grabbed Ken's keys from the wall. Daisuke hated the tears that were forming in Ken's eyes but refused to fall. He also hated the look of total betrayal that was sent at Mrs. Ichijouji._

_"I'm sorry, dear, but this is for your own good. I promise we will fix you." Daisuke felt his shock turned into anger as Ken's mother locked Ken inside his own room. Daisuke had always wondered why Ken had a double cylinder deadbolt lock on his door. Now he knew why. And then he wondered if Ken's parents ever locked him in his room before. That thought angered him and made him start to fight back. However, it seemed his reaction was too late. Daisuke soon found himself thrown out of the Ichijouji's apartment. Daisuke glared at Mr. Ichijouji as he spoke._

_"I will not have my son fall in love with a guy. He will continue our line. It is his duty." Was that all they cared about? Didn't they care about Ken happiness? "Get lost and don't come back." Daisuke didn't move when the door was slammed in his face. He didn't move when he heard Ken's screamed to let him out and the distant, constant banging as fists came in contact with wood. All Daisuke could do was stare in shocked silence as his thoughts swirled around one word: fix. At what lengths would Ken's parents go to make sure Ken didn't like guys? What harm would they do to Ken?_

_And then another thought came to him. He had to save Ken before it was too late. Daisuke got up from the floor, fighting against the tears that threatened to fall when Ken's father began threatening Ken that he would be sent away to get fixed and ran to the closest paid phone he could find. He had to save Ken, but he needed the others and his parents first._

Daisuke huffed sadly at the memory. He hated the Ichijoujis. He hated them so much. What they did was unforgivable. Ken had been so traumatized after spending three days at that horrible hospital. Daisuke would never forget the bruises on Ken's fair skin and the unresponsive state he was in from all those drugs he was injected with. Ken was also very unstable and it broke his heart to see Ken in such a state.

Daisuke had felt so guilty that he couldn't stop Ken from being heavily drugged or sent to that place without him knowing (and he was only on the payphone across the street!). Of course, Ken was very weak when he came to and didn't blame him. Daisuke remembered that was the last time he saw Ken smile at him before his parents disowned him. It had broken Ken emotionally and mentally and further enhanced his fear of hospitals and abandonment. Daisuke still couldn't believe they did that. Sure, it was Mr. Ichijouji who said it, but he believed what really hurt Ken the most was when his own mother turned her back on him without a word and followed her husband like a good wife.

Daisuke stared at his husband's sleeping form. He gently brushed back a few navy strands and smiled softly when Ken snuggled closer to him. Daisuke didn't dare move, though. If he did, Ken would cling to him tighter and whimper in distress. Daisuke would then have to whisper words of comfort until Ken returned to his semi-peaceful, dreamless sleep. Daisuke knew it was a light sleep. Every little sound (rather it was from the swooshing of the wind or the soft snores from their Digimon) would make his go into a semi-distraught state.

Daisuke didn't mind, though. Ken wasn't in the right state of mind yet. It would only be like this for a couple of hours. Besides, he was wide awake now and his mind just refused to shut off. It was probably a good thing that all he had to do today was a few Skype meetings with some businessmen who wanted to open up a few _"_ Noddle Noddle, Come Get Your Noodle" carts in Canada and in some other parts of the United States. Ken would still, hopefully, be asleep while he did those meetings.

Daisuke frowned in concern as he continued to move his fingers through Ken's hair. He had a vague idea of what Ken dreamt about. It was about his parents sending him to that damn hospital. But he was greatly concerned about the World of Darkness. Ken hadn't had any problems or nightmares of that dimension for years now. He wondered if it meant anything.

 _It could be nothing. I could just be overreacting._ Daisuke gently caressed Ken's cheek and he leaned into his touch. _But what could have triggered those dreams?_ Daisuke frowned in thought as he thought about the last couple of days. _Ken's been stressed out all week, now that I think about it. He's been getting sick almost every day now. I doubt he's gotten any good rest at all in the past week._ Daisuke studied his husband's peaceful expression. _His job doesn't help that much either. Didn't he say that he was tracking down some guy who kidnapped a girl?_

This brought a frown to Daisuke's features. He should have paid more attention to his husband when he was ranting about a case he was working on the other day. He listened to most of it, but he kinda got sidetracked when Ken started pacing back and forth. Of course, Daisuke was distracted by how cute Ken was with his kissable lips formed into a pout and his violet eyes glaring heatedly at the different surveillance pictures and documents he was supposed to sort through and read before writing a report about his findings to his boss and plotting his next move to his team of newbies before their trail got cold.

Daisuke's lips twitched into a smile. Ken would never admit that the three rookies he was assigned to train were reckless newbies that had a crush on him. Ken was too nice to outright say that (or maybe he was just oblivious to it). But sill, Ken was, at times, very stressed out by the end of the day. With the way he was getting sick, combined with work, and with his recent fainting spell, it made him wonder what was going on with his husband.

 _What is going on with you, Ken? And what did the doctor tell you yesterday? I can only hope it's nothing bad, but I'm very worried about you._ Daisuke sighed and stared at the clock. 4:45 am. _So much for sleeping._ He shook away that selfish thought. He shouldn't be worrying about his lack of sleep. He'd managed to get four hours of sleep at least.

"…Ba…by…" Daisuke blinked at the soft whisper. He glanced at his husband with furrowed brows. _Baby?_ Daisuke watched as Ken smiled softly in his sleep as one hand, unconsciously, moved to rub his stomach gently. Daisuke was slightly confused by this. Did Ken want a baby and just never told him about it? Daisuke found himself smiling lovingly at his husband. Daisuke bent down and kissed Ken's forehead.

"I want kids too, Ken," he whispered. "I'm not sure if you are ready for adoption, but I will be here when you are. I know we will be great parents." Daisuke rested his chin on Ken's head, making sure he didn't disturb Ken's sleep. "I love you and I always will."


	5. Truth In Plain Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ken wakes up to find that Daisuke didn't wake him up. Daisuke finally learns that Ken is pregnant. Daisuke gets a not so unexpected call from Jun.

_Ken Ichijouji-Motomiya_

_Motomiya-Inoue Residence, Odaiba  
_

The insistent twisting and turning of the contents of his stomach rudely cut through the peaceful fog of his dreamless sleep. They were demanding for him to get up. Ken sluggishly stretched his muscles as he slowly woke up. He blinked the sleep out of his eyes and frowned slightly in confusion. Something was off, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He squinted his eyes at the bright rays of sun that entered the bedroom. Was it really that late?

Ken sat up and inspected the room. The white panel curtains, that he usually drew back at around seven, still attempted to hide the outside world. Daisuke's D-Terminal and D-3, along with his, was on their respective dark brown nightstands. To his right, clothes were cluttered around the partly opened draws of Daisuke's tall, dark brown, five draw dresser, with many of Daisuke's personal effects (consisting of different photographs of their friends and family and some awards) rested on top.

Further down from Daisuke's dresser (on the adjacent gray wall) was Ken's six draw dresser of the same color. Unlike Daisuke's, Ken's side of the room was neat and not cluttered. His draws were closed with the folded clothes inside. On the light gray wall, above the dresser, was a rectangular mirror with a dark brown border. Like Daisuke's, Ken had several pictures of their friends, their Digimon, co-workers, a picture of his brother, and several certificates that showcased Daisuke's business, his awards from work, and their marriage.

On the left side of the room was the walk-in closet and two white bean bag chairs (which Daisuke's wasted his money just because he could). Ken rolled his eyes when he saw that Daisuke left the door wide open (again) and that some of Daisuke's clothes were hanging on the door and on the floor of the closet (again) and was starting to migrate into his side of the room (again). And Daisuke knew how much that annoyed him and was probably expecting him to lecture him (again). Of course, his lectures always gets cut short since a certain husband loved to take advantage of him when he was that annoyed (again).

Ken snorted softly. Ken knew full well that his husband was as brainless as Numemon when it came to picking up after himself (that included V-mon too) that wasn't his own cooking. Ken wasn't sure why he still bothered, knowing that he would end up on Daisuke's lap and silenced by Daisuke's lips afterward. He should really know better.

And speaking of his husband. Where was he? Ken's forehead and nose scrunched up slightly as he tried to remember if Daisuke had one of those out of country trips or not. Ken hated those trips. Daisuke would be gone for three to five days at a time when he had to go to another country for business. Ken knew it was part of the job for being the owner and CEO of a multi-billion dollar company, but he felt lonely when Daisuke went on those trips. Besides, Daisuke usually told him when he went on those trips and for how long he'd be gone.

Ken glanced at his husband's D-3 and D-Terminal. Daisuke never left home without it, so he and V-mon were still home. Daisuke also never left home without saying goodbye either. Although, that was more to the fact that Daisuke's schedule was rather odd compared to his own. Ken didn't mind waking up at three or four in the morning when Daisuke had to go on those business trips. He knew Daisuke felt guilty since he didn't have to get up until 7:15 to get ready for work. Then again, their roles get reversed when he had to get ready for work, while Daisuke didn't have to go to work until the afternoon.

Despite their schedules and the fact that Naomichi ordered him to stay home, he was curious why his husband hadn't woken him up. Ken frowned as he started to become slightly nauseous. It wasn't as bad as the day before, thankfully. Takeru's soup worked wonders. Ken slowly shifted his eyes to the clock and froze. He couldn't be reading that right. Did the clock really say 12:35 PM?

Ken stared at the clock in puzzlement. He couldn't believe he slept for that long. He knew he hadn't been sleeping that well in the past week or so. But he didn't think he would have slept for that long, though. Well, that did explain why Daisuke wasn't here. He must have been working at his office or something.

With a sigh, Ken slowly removed the white comforter off him and got off the bed. Ken placed a hand on his stomach as he made his way out of the bedroom.

"I bet you're hungry, sweetheart," he murmured to himself with a small smile. If it was any other day, he would have still thought that he was sick with the flu or something worse (which would have sent him to the evil hospital) and would not have given the other possibility any thought. He never dreamed that he was even capable of getting pregnant. But Takeru and Hikari had helped him with his initial shock. Now, however, after calming down and actually thinking about it, he was excited. He was excited to have a baby. But there still was the fear on how his husband would react.

Ken was fully aware that Daisuke (and the rest of the Motomiyas) loathed his parents for how badly they treated him in the past. Ken hated thinking about it. He had tried so hard to put it behind him. But his mother's letters, his nightmares, and his anxiety were putting him on edge. He was thankful that his mother wanted to make up for the things she did (or more on the lines of what she didn't do). His mother didn't attend their wedding (Daisuke wouldn't have been happy about that), but she did send him a wedding present, which Daisuke and Miyako broke. Ken was still upset about that. Even after Hikari, Sora, Meiko, and Mimi helped him glue all the pieces back together, it still wasn't the same. It was ruined and cracked, just like his relationship with his parents.

"Good afternoon, My Lovely Wife! Sleep well?" Ken's bottom lip stuck out in a pout as he entered the living room. Daisuke was sitting on the sofa, while V-mon and Wormmon were on a bunch of miss matched pillows on the ground, playing cards. And it was obvious that V-mon was losing if his nervous posture indicated anything.

Ken stopped in front of his husband and gave him a half-hearted glare at the nickname. The other man just smiled cheekily and raised his brows in amusement in response. Daisuke only said that because of his over-cleaning habits (Daisuke swore on the defeat of Alphamon and Belial Vamdemon that it was an obsession. He even managed to wing Jou into testing him and concluding that he had obsessive-compulsive disorder. Of course, Ken denied it. It was absurd!) that he had a tendency to fret over their partners and anything that Ken deemed worrisome, including Daisuke himself when he gets into unnecessary trouble. Despite how accurate his small tendency seemed to spell WIFE, Ken couldn't help but feel that Daisuke was attacking his manlihood with those jabs of his. Ken was well aware of how ridiculous that sounded. Daisuke loved him for all his faults and tendencies. But he couldn't help it. Daisuke just had a bad habit of teasing him that he acted more feminine at times. Although, the knowledge that he was an intersexual did explain a lot.

Ken continue to playfully glare at his husband but didn't resist when Daisuke reached to grasp his wrist. Ken didn't argue or fight to get away as he was pulled into his husband's lap. Nor did he try to get away when Daisuke kissed him gently, almost cautiously. That worried him. Ken melted into the tender kiss, but his mind was screaming that something was wrong with _his_ Daisuke. His Daisuke was not playing his part in their little game of dominance.

Ken soon found the kiss ending too soon as Daisuke pulled away before he could open his mouth to allow Daisuke in. Ken blinked in confusion as Daisuke held him gently as if he would break right there and then.

"Are you okay, Dai?" Ken found himself asking when Daisuke started caressing his cheek with his finger as his eyes traveled along his face and body for any signs of distress or incoming sickness. Ken was feeling a little nauseous, but nausea was normal in pregnancy. He wasn't sure if he'll ever get over the shock of that fact, though.

"I should be asking you that," Daisuke said in a worried tone, his brown orbs still search for signs of distress and sickness.

Ken smiled softly. Daisuke was always so overprotective of him and such a gentleman at times like this. Well, Daisuke was always protective of him and very sweet (ever since he joined the team, actually), but he was more so at moments like this. Who would have thought that Daisuke was the romantic type?

"I'm fine, Dai," Ken said with a smile. "I actually feel a lot better than I had in the last couple of days. Although I still feel a little nauseous, but it's bearable."

Daisuke didn't seem too convinced that he was fine. Daisuke's lips pressed together slightly and said nothing. Ken shifted nervously as concerned brown orbs stared at him, disbelieving. Ken really hated when he did that. It made him feel exposed and vulnerable. Ken averted his eyes to the Digimon, only to see that they vacated the floor and living room. Traitors.

"Ken," Daisuke said softly as he ran a finger through Ken's hair. "Don't lie to me. I know you are not fine." Ken opened his mouth to protest, but Daisuke continued what he was saying before Ken could utter a word. "You are worried about something, love." Ken averted his eyes to his lap. He was right. Ken had been worried that Daisuke would not want the baby he was carrying. Despite the reassurance from both Hikari and Takeru, he still had his doubts. "I'm not sure what you're so worried about, but-" Ken returned his gaze to his husband. Daisuke's face reflected his love, concern, and worry for him. Ken felt the pit of his stomach cringe. He wasn't sure if it was because of the pregnancy, his empty stomach demanding food, or because he knew he wasn't going to like what his husband was going to say. "You had a pretty bad nightmare early his morning. You were really distressed over them." It looked like it was going to be the latter then. "Do you remember them?"

Ken fidgeted with the corner of his dark blue night shirt. His nightmare seemed so far away and vague now. He really didn't want to dwell on it. He guessed it was more or less triggered by the shock of being pregnant and the fact that his parents never told him. He wasn't sure what the nightmare about the World of Darkness was about; he assumed it was because he felt that Daisuke wouldn't want the baby, so his mind created that dream that showed him that fear, most likely. The nightmare of what happened to him at that hospital, however, could have been triggered by the shock that his parents never told him about that surgery when he was born. His mother was attempting to fix their relationship, however. They had been writing back and forth for about three months now and he had just received another one of her letters two days ago. However, now he felt slightly betrayed that she never bothered to mention it. That was going to be a fun conversation.

"Kinda," Ken admitted weakly as he felt his stomach cringing some more, demanding his attention. He knew Daisuke wanted to make sure he was fine, and Ken really wanted to know Daisuke's reaction to him being pregnant (as much as it scared him already). But his morning sickness was starting to become demanding and he knew he would be running to the bathroom very soon. Morning sickness really sucked.

Daisuke frowned at him in concern as his fingertips gently rested under Ken's chin, making sure Ken was looking at him. "You don't have to talk about your dreams," Daisuke said, much to Ken's relief. "But is this about that surgery you had done on you when you were born."

Ken stiffened and twin violet orbs widened in horror. How did Daisuke know that? Did Hikari tell him while he was asleep? How much did he know? "I…well…" he stammered as his thoughts and fears clashed with each other. "Who-who told you that?"

"Meiji was here and told me that he was told by Hikari-chan that you had some type of surgery done on you when you were born." Ken noticed the hard look in his husband's eyes. Daisuke was still angry at his parents, despite Ken telling him that his mother wanted to fix their relationship. "I also got a call from both Naomichi and Jou, and a text from Miyako-chan. They obviously know what was going on with you."

Ken felt all the color from his face drain into a sickeningly white. He had expected Meiji to find out since he would have been worried after the phone call. He doubted Hikari and Takeru would have left without telling him. He wasn't sure how Jou found out, but there was nothing he could do about that. Jou was probably the only doctor (other than Shogo) that he would allow to examine him. However, if Miyako knew that he was pregnant, then she would squeal the news to Mimi, who would have been with Sora and Meiko. And if Jou knew, then Jun would have known as well. Ken was mortified. At that rate, Daisuke (and maybe Taichi, Iori, Yamato, and Suki) would have been the only ones not aware of the pregnancy.

"Ken?" Ken looked at his husband, who was even more concerned than he was a moment ago. His voice and facial features were already trying to figure out what he did wrong to get such a bad reaction from him. "What's wrong? What was this surgery all about? Was it bad?"

Ken swallowed nervously and ignored his husband's question. "Daisuke, do…do you want a child?"

Daisuke was slightly puzzled at the question. His forehead wrinkled slightly as a brown brow rose up in question. "Of course, I want one. I admit, I was a bit jealous that Takeru-kun had his kids before me, but I didn't want to pressure you into adopting a child. I wanted to wait until you were ready for it. Adoption is a frustrating and competitive business and I really didn't want to put you in that situation if you weren't ready."

Ken smiled nervously. It was like Daisuke to be concerned over his feelings. Daisuke was right about adoption being very frustrating and competitive, but he wasn't really thinking about that. Besides, it was too late to wait until he was ready. Ken found out too late about his pregnancy. "So, you do want a child then?"

Daisuke smiled at his hopeful tone. "Of course, I do. Was that what you were worried about?" He chuckled softly. "That I wouldn't want a child? I always wanted to start a family."

Ken mentally smiled in relief. However, the next part was going to be hard to admit. "About the surgery," Ken mumbled softly as he looked in Daisuke's eyes.

Daisuke's smile fell slightly in concern. "What about it? It's not life-threatening, is it?"

Ken bit his lip in thought. Was it life-threatening? Maybe. There were usually complications with any type of pregnancy. But male pregnancy was a bit different than female pregnancy. "Yes…No…Maybe…"

"I'm not following," Daisuke admitted with questioning eyes. Ken knew he wasn't making any sense. He really didn't want to speak it out loud. But Daisuke was bound to find out, and he deserved to know. It was his child too.

Ken slowly inhaled and then exhaled as he tried to think through the nausea. _Stupid morning sickness._ "Well, you see, when I was born…I was…well…not normal…" Daisuke remained silent as he tried to explain, his confusion was still visible on his face.

"What you mean?" Daisuke finally asked when Ken struggled to explain. Wow, this was hard for him.

"Well, I was said to be born as an intersexual." Daisuke's confusion was still visible.

"Intersexual?" Daisuke asked as he scratched the back of his head with the hand that wasn't holding Ken. "Isn't that when a person is born with sex parts for both genders?"

"That's one way to put it," Ken said with a nod. At least Daisuke knew what the term meant to that extent. He wasn't really in the mood to explain the whole concept, anyway.

"Okay, soooo you were born with male and female parts," Daisuke said as he twirled Ken's navy lock around his finger. Ken could see the wheels turning in his husband's head. " _They_ obviously didn't like that, so they had you operated on." Ken mentally winced at the bitter tone that left Daisuke's lips when he said that. Daisuke would never fully forgive them.

Ken nodded. "Yeah, they did. They wanted me to be fully male." Ken had a feeling it was because his father believed that it was a male's duty to spread the family name. And when Osamu died that duty had been strongly placed on him. At least, it was until they sent him away and later disowned him when their plans didn't work.

Daisuke's brows furrowed in concentration. His husband was trying very hard to steer the conversation away from his parents and adding more things for Daisuke to hate them for. "Okay, so what this have to do with you being sick all the time?"

Ken rubbed his stomach as the discomfort got more intense. Ken knew he would be running to the bathroom soon. "It's funny really," Ken said with a small disbelieving laugh. Now that he thought about it. Why had he not noticed sooner? He helped Miyako when she was pregnant with Meiji and she had the same symptom that he was experiencing. "I should have noticed sooner."

"Noticed what, Ken-chan?" Daisuke asked, still looking very, very confused.

"Dai, think about it. The cramps…the fatigue…the headaches…the dizziness…" Ken listed each word on his finger and watching Daisuke's express as he tried to follow along. Ken ignored the wave of nausea as it got more demanding. He wanted to finish telling Daisuke the shocking news. "The morning sickness…" Ken saw Daisuke looking at him in puzzlement and then shock as he placed the pieces together. Daisuke opened his mouth to say something as he tried to process what Ken just told him, but Ken's stomach had decided it waited enough.

Ken's hand flew to his mouth as he felt the sudden need to run to the bathroom to empty the contents of his stomach. Ken promptly yanked himself from Daisuke's hold (not that it was very strong anyway) and ran to the bathroom before Daisuke could respond to the truth that he had been told.

* * *

_Daisuke Motomiya_

_Motomiya-Inoue Residence, Odaiba, Japan  
_

Daisuke knew Ken long enough to know when something was troubling him. His body language was screaming that he was scared and worried about something. As much as he wanted to wake Ken up this morning, he didn't have the heart to. Ken hadn't been himself all week and maybe before that. He hadn't been sleeping very well, either, with him waking up to run to the bathroom almost every day. The fatigue and dizziness concerned him. But it was the fact that Ken couldn't keep anything down was what convinced him that something was terribly wrong.

Daisuke had thought that Ken might have caught the flu or something. It was that time of season anyway and he was always on the street working on those cases of his. But his symptoms were getting worse and constant as the days progressed. He was extremely worried when Ken started getting dizzy and fainting spells. He, V-mon, and Wormmon had freaked out a couple of times when that happened. Daisuke was certain it was because Ken couldn't keep any of the food he gave him in his stomach, followed by the lack of sleep. He was more than ready to take Ken to Jou's clinic (which Ken swore was an evil hospital, with evil doctors that were after him, in disguise) and get him checked out. It was very distressing.

However, never in his dreams did he think that the cause of Ken's symptoms was something totally different and unexpected. Ken was right when he said that they should have realized it. He had all the symptoms of pregnancy. Even with the proof right in front of his eyes, Daisuke couldn't process the news fast enough to reassure his husband before he took off. There were too many things to think about all at once.

Daisuke didn't know what to feel at that moment. He was angry that Ken's parents did that to him when he was so young and not tell him about it, just another reason to hate them. His anger was soon replaced with guilt. He was the cause for Ken being so miserable. Ken was pregnant because of him. His lack of sleep and nausea was because of him. Daisuke's guilty thoughts swirled in his mind. He stared at his husband's fast retreat and wondered how this could have happened. He might have just ruined Ken's health and life. Male pregnancy was more prone to complications than female pregnancy. The guilt threatened to engulf him until something clicked in his mind as soon as he started hearing the faint gagging and miserable whines of his sick husband.

Ken had been showing all the signs.

He was having cramps, dizzy and fainting spells, morning sickness, and fatigue.

Ken could barely keep his food down.

Ken had been worried that he (Daisuke) didn't want kids.

Ken had worried himself sick for no reason, like always.

Ken was relieved that Daisuke wanted children of their own.

Ken actually wanted a child, but not just any random child.

Ken was carrying _their_ child.

Their child…

Ken was pregnant with their child!

Daisuke shot to his feet at the realization that he was going to be a father and made a beeline to the hall that held the bathroom. Daisuke ran past the master bedroom, noticing that it was a slight mess (mainly thanks to him). He would have to be a lot more careful now that Ken was pregnant.

Daisuke knew there were going to be a lot of changes in the next couple of months. He would have to make sure Ken got the necessary nourishment for both him and their unborn child. He would have to figure out a nursery room for the baby as well; maybe the extra room down the hall could work. He would have to fix it up, though. It was supposed to be V-mon and Wormmon's room, but they barely use it. Besides, if he needed to make an addition to the house, then so be it. It wasn't like they didn't have the money for it.

He would also have to make sure he took care of the more heavier chores around the house. Ken would be incapable of doing them for the next nine months. He didn't want Ken to hurt himself and their unborn child. He knew Ken would protest of course. Ken was a neat freak (obsession) and hated messes. V-mon could vouch for him on that. Ken could be very persistent and scary when he went all Cleaning Kaiser Mode (again his husband was obsessed). Though, that mode was not as scary as his Cop Mode. Ken was just as dangerous with cleaning products as he was with a gun. He was still amazed that Ken would allow him and V-mon to get away with it sometimes without dire consequences. The consequences usually lead to him and V-mon begging for forgiveness (which resulted in Wormmon and Hawkmon snickering at their expense and with Falcomon sighing at the whole situation) while Ken just glared at them.

Daisuke stopped in front of the open door of the master bathroom. The master bathroom was one of Daisuke's personal favorites. He had asked Ken years ago to help him design the bathroom and some of the other rooms. Of course, this was before he asked Ken to move in with him. Ken had been living in a dorm at the police academy at the time.

Daisuke adored all the choices that Ken had chosen for this specific room. Like all the other rooms, the master bathroom was pretty big and spacious and had a very traditional feel to it. Ken had picked a smooth elegant white for both the walls and ceiling and a white marble tile with browns and grays for the floor. On the right side of the room was the sink. Ken had chosen a dark gray for the sink cabinets and modern french gold for the handles. The sink countertop was a white quartz and it had two white verticyl undermount sinks. A modern french gold purist line faucet was installed for both sinks. Ken had been very insistent that it had to be the Kohler brand. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't argue. On the white walls, right above each sink, was a matte brass mirror cabinet. Both were bordered with modern french gold. Next to the sinks, Daisuke had two rows of gray shelves, stacked with fresh towels and washcloths.

On the left side of the room was the walk-in shower and the spa bath. The walk-in shower had subway tiles on the walls (Jun had actually suggested that and Ken agreed with it) and had a modern french gold shower head and handle. He had also installed three small shelves at the corner of the shower. The spa bath's box cover was made of gray granite. Two gray oval rugs were located in front of the spa bath and walk-in shower.

On the opposite wall from him was the gray closet door, which was where they put all their bathroom supplies. To the closets right was one of the towel racks; the other was to his right, near the tub. To the closets left were the toilet and toilet roll holder.

"Please don't tell me I'll be doing this for the next nine months." Daisuke frowned slightly in worry as he saw Ken kneeling in front of the toilet, looking absolutely miserable. Looks like he would need to get some of that medication that Jou created for morning sickness as well. Daisuke walked in and grabbed a beige washcloth that was on the shelf. He turned on the faucet and ran the cloth under warm water. Once the cloth was wet enough, he turned off the water and squeeze the excess water out of the cloth.

Ken moaned in his obvious misery as Daisuke settled down next to him. Daisuke moved several navy strands away from his face with one hand, while he wiped down Ken's mouth, chin, and neck with the washcloth. Ken had sighed weakly when he was being cleaned but didn't protest. Daisuke assumed he wouldn't; Ken didn't have the strength to at the moment. It was probably a good thing that there was enough soup for the next couple of days. He was pretty sure Ken was starving.

Once Ken was cleaned and not on the verge of emptying the contents of his stomach (again), Daisuke guided Ken away from the toilet and towards his chest. Daisuke wrapped his arms around Ken's torso (making sure there was no pressure on Ken's stomach), while Ken's head rested against his shoulder. Neither of them said anything for a while. Ken was still recovering from morning sickness. Daisuke on the other hand, in a matter of words, was thinking about their future.

He knew there would be a lot of changes now that Ken was pregnant. Daisuke dreamed of having a family with Ken. He was jealous of the others at times when they seemed to be able to live normally with their spouses and later children. It had taken a very long time for gay marriage to become legalized (thank you Americans!). At times Daisuke had been considering moving to America so they could get married. But Ken had made his life over in Japan and he didn't want to ruin that. He was glad for that.

He rested his hand on Ken's stomach. He couldn't believe there was a small life inside there. He couldn't wait to meet him or her. He was happy and excited. There was still the guilt that this would cause Ken to be miserable for the next few months, but he pushed it aside for now. All he could think about was that he was finally going to be a father to his lovely wife. Of course, he was well aware that Ken hated being called that and he wouldn't dare say that in public or in front of their friends. Ken would definitely kill him and argue that he wasn't a woman. But then again, it was fun to tease him. Besides, he had two other nicknames that he used when they were in public or around their friends. And the punch on the shoulder and the thump on the head he gets in retaliation were well worth it.

"So I guess you're happy then?" Daisuke blinked and glanced at his husband who was watching him with hopeful eyes.

Daisuke grinned as he hugged his husband. "When do we meet them?"

"She," Ken corrected. Daisuke raised a brow. Ken couldn't have been that far into his pregnancy to know what gender the child was. "Hikari said it was a she."

"Ahhhh." That made a lot of sense. Hikari had always been more intuitive than the others. Though, that could be because of her crest. "So, when do we meet her?" he asked as he smiled at his husband, who placed his hand over his and was smiling watery at him. Daisuke gently wiped away a tear that escaped its confinements with his thumb. Daisuke found himself not worrying too much. They were happy tears.

"You're going have to wait nine months," Ken said with a small laugh. Though, it sounded more like a giggle then a laugh.

"I knew that," Daisuke retorted cheekily as he continued to touch Ken's stomach. "You better grow big and strong in there," Daisuke advised to his unborn daughter. He ignored the amused, yet perplexed, look Ken was sending his way. "We love you and I can't wait to teach you so many things. I know you will love football. It's our favorite sport."

"You do realize I'm only four weeks in, right?"

Daisuke chuckled at that. It didn't really matter to him how many weeks Ken was. Ken was pregnant and that was all he cared about at the moment. The weeks were just numbers in his mind. "Keeennn, those are just numbers. We are going to be parents! I can't wait to tell my parents and Neechan!"

Ken smiled with a laugh at his excitement. However, there was a look that suggested that he was going to be disappointed. "I think Jun and the majority of the others know already."

"What? You told them before me?" He couldn't believe it. He wanted to tell them the good news. He doubted Ken told anyone else other then Hikari and Takeru, but he couldn't stop the slightly accusing tone in his voice.

"I didn't tell anyone," Ken said defensively. "They found out on their own, most likely. Takeru and Hikari only know because Wormmon called them to help me yesterday. Meiji only knows because of them. I'm pretty sure he told Miyako and knowing her, she told Mimi. You know how she is when she gets news this big." Daisuke groaned. Ken was right. Miyako was prone to gossiping with Mimi. They both get over excited when anything involving cute things and a baby on the way just so happened to fit in that category.

"And if Mimi knows then there's a good chance that Sora and Meiko know as well. They do work together on Sora's business." Ken did have a point. Sora, Mimi, and Meiko were always together. They had a great friendship, which later blossomed into a business they could all help in. Sora made a wonderful name for herself as both a florist and business woman. Sora had put her clothing making skills to good use and opened up an online business called LoveBoutique. Of course, Mimi helped with creating multiple clothing lines, while Meiko was in charge of designing the clothes digitally and keeping the site up to date and running.

"I'm not sure if Yamato or Taichi know, but Koushiro would have learned it from Mimi by now. Jou only knows because of Hirose-sensai and there is no way he can keep that a secret from Jun." Daisuke mumbled under his breath that it was all Miyako's fault and that he wanted to tell them. The others were bound to find out and he was sure that Jun was going to call any minute now.

Daisuke swore under his breath that there was a Bakemon spying on him somewhere since his sister's ringtone decided to go off at that very moment.

_"I hate you!_

_I love you!_

_You know too much about me."_

Daisuke groaned at his luck. Why did Jun have to call him now? Couldn't she wait until later? He was very busy.

_"I have to just kill you._

_But then who'll tell me how to live?"_

"Aren't you going to answer it?" Daisuke looked at Ken and noticed that his right dark navy brow was raised up in question.

"We are in a middle of something," he protested. "Besides, you still haven't eaten."

_"Don't tell me how to live!"_

Ken smiled slightly. "Dai, I'm not going anywhere."

_"Just tell me I'm alright."_

"Go ahead and answer. Jun's not going to be very happy if you let it go to voicemail." Daisuke groaned as he fished for his cell in his back pocket, in hopes of getting it before Jun yelled at him for not picking up.

_"Just shut up!_

_Why do I ask you anyway?"_

Daisuke pulled out his iPhone and saw that Kido Jun was on the screen.

_"I hate you!_

_I love you!_

_You know too…"_

He pressed the green answer button on the screen and placed the phone to his ear to greet his sister. "Moshi Moshi, Neechan!"

 _"Took you long enough to answer, squirt,"_ Jun replied in obvious annoyance. But it didn't sound that bad. At least she wasn't yelling. _"Please tell me I didn't interrupt something."_

"Actually, you did. We're in the middle of something right now."

 _"Tell him we are on our way!"_ Daisuke raised a brow. That was Jou. Wasn't Jou supposed to be at work at his clinic in the Digital World? Did he just say that they were coming over?

 _"HI, DAISUKE! TELL KEN WE SAID HI!"_ That was Penmon and Gomamon. What was going on?

 _"I'm getting to that!"_ Jun yelled from the other line. He assumed it was to Jou. He must be driving. _"Sit down! We'll be there soon!"_

Daisuke looked at his husband, pulling the phone away from his ear, as Jun started yelling at the Digimon and Jou. He could hear Jou and the Digimon apologizing on the other line (or laughing in Gomamon's case). Ken was looking at him in concern. Ken obviously wanted to know what all the yelling was about. Ken's cop instincts were clearly starting to kick in. He knew Ken would not stop until he found out, even on his own if he had to. He placed a finger on Ken's lips, silencing him when he opened his mouth to ask a question. "Neechan? What's going on?" he asked when the line stopped being a yelling match.

 _"Sorry, Daisuke,"_ she said when she stopped yelling at the others. _"As I assumed you heard, we're coming over. Jou wants to give Ken-kun an examination and see how's he doing and how far he is. Morning sickness is not easy for one who was not aware of being pregnant."_

"So you do know then?"

 _"Yeah I know,"_ Jun said as if she was offended. _"You know that Jou can't keep things from me."_

 _"You weren't supposed to be looking at those files in the first place!"_ Jou said in exasperation from the other line. He was obviously stressed about the whole situation, which was totally understandable. He married Jun after all and there was the fact about Ken's health. _"That was private information!"_ Daisuke wondered if they had this argument already. He wouldn't be surprised. Jun could be very straight forward and insistent when she wanted to be. And at this moment, she was, most likely, very worried about Ken.

 _"You shouldn't have left them on the kitchen table for me to find,"_ Jun said as if she hadn't done anything wrong and that she had free rein. With that said, she completely ended the small matter with her husband and changed the subject. _"So, how is he?"_

Daisuke looked at Ken with a reassuring smile when Ken tapped his shoulder, his violet eyes questioning. "He's fine. Though, you are right about the morning sickness. Did Jou-kun bring any medicine by any chance?"

 _"Yeah we did,"_ she replied. _"Among other things too."_ Daisuke sighed in relief. At least he didn't have to get them later. _"Did Ken-kun eat?"_

"Not yet, we are still in the bathroom."

Jun sighed on the other line. _"Okay, try to get him to eat something. It's not good for him and the baby if he doesn't get something in his stomach."_

Daisuke scoffed. "Don't tell me how to take care of my husband."

Jun laughed. _"Whatever, squirt. See in a few."_

"Yeah, sure," he grumbled. "Bye."

_"Bye! Don't start making out before we get there!"_

"JUN!"

A click was heard, signaling that Jun hung up on her end. He couldn't believe his sister did that. Did she really think that they would be making out at a time like this? With an annoyed grunt at his own sister, Daisuke removed the phone from his ear. The call screen grayed out and returned to the picture that he assigned for the lock screen.

Daisuke stared at the picture before it turned black. It was a group picture of him and Ken (with the Digimon on their laps) when they were younger. It was on the day of the school prom. They hadn't gone to the school prom per se. Ken hadn't wanted to go; he was still squirmish about being in a room filled with other people. Instead of going to the prom with their friends, Daisuke had decided to take Ken on a very special, very romantic, dinner date in the Digital World. It was just the two of them and, of course, the Digimon helped orchestrate the whole thing.

Daisuke smiled and tucked the phone back into his pocket. He smiled at Ken who was still relaxing against his chest. "Why don't we get you something to eat?" Daisuke asked as he helped Ken get to his feet.

Ken nodded in response and allowed Daisuke to drag him out of the bathroom. Daisuke kept a supporting arm behind Ken's back as they walked down the hall towards the living room and then to the adjacent hallway that would take them to the dining room.

"What did Jun say?" Ken asked him as they walked out of the living room and into the dining room.

"We are going to have company," Daisuke replied as he helped Ken into a seat.

"Really?" Ken said questioningly. "Jun's coming over?"

"Yup. Along with Jou-kun, Penmon, and Gomamon."

Ken didn't say anything as Daisuke left to go to the kitchen. Daisuke knew Ken hated doctors more than anything. Jou was the only one Ken actually trusted to get near him. Though, Jou always had to reassure Ken that he would be fine and he would have to explain in detail what he was going to do before Ken even allowed him to give him any type of examination.

Daisuke sighed as he entered the kitchen. Similar to the living room, the kitchen had a yellow/gold color for the walls and white marble for the floor. His countertops were a gray marble, his cabinets were white, and he had all the state of the art appliances. He was a chef after all. He needed all the gadgets.

Daisuke made his way to his Samsung Family Hub fridge. Daisuke had recently just bought it. Did five months ago count as recent? He had to admit that he loved it. It had everything. The fridge had four french doors. On the right door, there was a touch screen with a bunch of apps, ranging from notes to the online grocery list. He loved that feature. There was a reason why his fridge was never empty. On the left door was the water and ice cube dispenser. And best of all, it was stainless steel. There was no way V-mon could ruin it!

Daisuke stopped in front of the fridge and noticed that there was a note. He blinked as he pressed the note app and saw that Takeru left a note for him. Daisuke raised a brow at it. Why hadn't Wormmon told him that Takeru left a message for him?

_Daisuke-kun,_

_By the time you read this, Ken-kun would probably have told you that he was pregnant. You are going to need to create a fixed diet that will work for him. There is a good chance that he won't be able to stomach your soups or some of your other cooking at the moment. I took the liberty of making Obaasan's soup for him. It will help him. I left enough for the next couple of days._

_Hikari and I are coming back tomorrow with the kids. Hikari wants to give you guys some of our books on pregnancy and a bunch of other stuff. I'm also going to give you the recipe for the soup and other foods that Ken-kun will be able to eat easily._

_See you tomorrow,_

_Takaishi Takeru_

Daisuke frowned slightly as he opened the fridge to get one of the Tupperware bowls that were filled with soup. _I could have just read that earlier,_ he thought as he closed the fridge and proceeded to heat it up in the microwave. _That explains why Wormmon didn't want me in the kitchen. He knew Takeru-kun left a note about Ken being pregnant._

The dinging of the microwave cut through his thoughts and returned him to the task at hand. With a sigh, Daisuke removed the bowl from the microwave and walked back to the dining room with the hot soup and a soup spoon in his hands.

Daisuke's frown soon changed to a smile when he saw Ken. _Maybe it was for the best. It was a lot better to learn the truth from Ken himself._

"Here you go," he said as he placed the soup in front of Ken. Ken smiled in turn when he sat down. Daisuke watched in silence as Ken began to eat. Daisuke couldn't believe how wonderful the day was becoming. He was going to be a father. He was finally going to have a child of his own to cherish and love and to teach football too (and coaching Taichi and Meiko's daughter, Fuyu, didn't count). He couldn't wait! And to think he was worried that Ken might be having a relapse or worse — dying from an unknown sickness.

Daisuke laughed at that. He was worrying for nothing. He gazed at his husband lovingly and began plotting all the things he would have to do to make sure Ken's pregnancy went smoothly. Daisuke smiled a little bit more. He couldn't wait for his daughter to be born.


	6. When One Isn't Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jun ponders over her brother-in-law and brother as they arrive at the Motomiya-Inoue Residence. Jun attempts to comfort Ken when she realizes that he still has some fears and worries about his pregnancy.

_Jun Kido_

_Odaiba, Japan  
_

Jun smiled as she ended the call. She was rather proud of herself for messing with her brother, despite the seriousness of her call. Jun returned her phone to her red purse and turned to smile at her husband. As expected Jou was in one of those moods. His shoulders were stiff as dark eyes focused through large black glasses with a thin silver frame at the road in front of him. His short hair hung loosely as Jou pushed his large black glasses back in place, a nervous habit Jun learned to realize. Jou was obviously nervous about the delicate situation involving her brother-in-law. Ken had been through so much over the years. And when they thought the poor soul could finally have a normal life, fate had decided to throw him off course once again. Although, Jun believed this unexpected surprise was very positive and refreshing in comparison to the other events that have happened in his life.

Jun's smile faltered a bit as she thought about her brother-in-law. Ken had been through so much over the years. It still hurt hearing about all the things he went through in the past. It was sad the way he was treated as a small child when his brother was alive. His parents ignored him most of the time and treated him like he wasn't important (in comparison to their genius son). Jun knew that if that happened to her and Daisuke, she would have done everything she could to make Daisuke feel he was important and loved. Besides, their parents were far better and loving than the Ichijoujis.

Although, Jun wasn't sure how she would feel if she ever lost Daisuke to a hit and run accident. She didn't blame Ken for doing what he did. At the time, all he ever wanted was to get his parents love and attention. And, it seemed, the only way to do that was to be like his brother — a genius.

Jun mentally scoffed at that line of thinking. The Ichijoujis (minus Ken and his older cousin) were cruel, heartless people. Daisuke told them about the Dark Seed and what it did to Ken. They felt bad for him and made sure he understood that they would not judge him. Besides, how could they be expected to blame a person for something that was not in his control? She knew for a fact that fighting against darkness was very difficult. She had to watch her brother as he, Ken, Miyako, and Iori were brainwashed by the virus, while they were trapped in their prisons. It was heartbreaking to see them being used like puppets to destroy both the Human and Digital World. But it was a huge relief when the others saved them in the end. Jun was glad for that.

However, Ken did not deserve to be sent to that hospital and to go through what he went through. It pained her to remember that day. Jun loved and saw Ken as her second _non-annoying_ brother. He was such a sweet and kind person, so it horrified her when Daisuke called them that day, telling them of the events that happened between him, Ken, and his parents. Jun had been the one trying to get her brother to confess his feelings, but she never imagined that Ken's parents would put him through that hell.

Jun never wanted to see Ken so broken ever again. After her brother managed to rescue Ken from that awful place, Ken had been in terrible shape. Jun wanted to cry just thinking about it. Ken had several broken ribs, along with several black and blues littering his body, and small holes from needles on his arms and neck. Jun tightened her hold on her purse as she tried to push the horrible image aside. She knew Ken was whole and healthy again, and with the love of his life, but…remembering him looking so broken and defenseless…was heartbreak. It was even worse when his own parents wanted nothing to do with him when they realized that Ken still had feelings for his best friend. Jun knew that was what finally broke him.

Ken had closed himself off after that. He would not willingly eat or talk to anyone unless forced. Ken was like a lifeless shell. The doctors felt there was nothing they could do for him when he was unresponsive for over two months. The doctors were even talking about transferring Ken to a mental hospital ("it was for his one safety," they had said), but they wouldn't hear any of it. Her parents didn't want Ken to suffer anymore. Jun knew her parents loved Ken and knew — being the stubborn people that they were — they could bring him back. They were determined to bring the sweet and kind boy from the brink. And it was well worth it in the end. It may have taken a year, but it was their love that brought Ken back to them. And they were glad for that for Ken was a wonderful and kind soul.

But Jun knew these experiences lead to Ken's fear of hospitals and doctors. Seeing his own brother dying in front of him was one thing, but to be tortured by doctors that were supposed to heal…? Jun didn't know what to think about that. Ken had every right to be afraid — no — petrified of doctors. Anyone would be traumatized if they were beaten and drugged by doctors. But Jun still couldn't believe how evil people could be — to beat and drug an innocent child — just so he would act what they felt was normal.

Jun had never felt more angry and disgusted in all her life on that day. But that horrible memory made her worry about Ken's current situation. She wasn't all that surprised that Ken's parents had made the choice to have him be identified as a boy when he was just a baby. But how could they not even mention it at all when he was younger. It seemed as if they were ashamed to have an intersexual. And it was thanks to them that Ken was unaware that he could get pregnant. Daisuke had always been rather cautious with his boyfriend (now husband), until their honeymoon that was. It hadn't been that long since they've gotten back from their three-week honeymoon either.

 _But for Ken-kun to find out this way was…_ Jun wasn't sure how to finish that line of thought. Knowing Ken and his fears, Jun felt worried. She knew Ken would not take to kindly to being examined, especially when it came to checking on the baby's development. Jou had hard enough time getting Ken to allow him to give him any vaccinations and general checkups. It was going to be difficult to get Ken to stay calm while doing those examinations. Not only that, but Jun was worried about Ken's health. Male pregnancy was rare at best. And the ones that did occur were met with complications. Ken would have to be constantly monitored when it was time to give birth. They didn't want to put his life and the baby's in harm's way. Although, Ken would more or less have to be put asleep when that time came. They knew how he felt about hospitals.

Despite being worried about the unexpected pregnancy, Jun felt excited. She knew this was what her brother wanted for a long, long time. Daisuke wanted to be a father and to have a child of his own. He had mentioned it a couple of times (when Ken was not around of course) on how he wanted a child that he and Ken could love and cherish. He wanted to give Ken the life he deserved and much, much more. Jun thought it was sweet and noble of him. She knew having this child would bring joy to all of them (not just Ken and Daisuke) but to her parents as well. Jun smirked as she leaned back in her seat. Jun was positive that Daisuke would want to tell their parents about the good news. She could just imagine their shock expressions when they learn that they would be having another grandchild. Jun knew they would be thrilled, after they get over their initial anger over Ken's parents, of course. Though, that was to be expected, considering Jun had yet to get over her anger over them.

"Are we there yet?" Gomamon asked as he got out of his seat, yet again, and climbed between the two front seats.

"Gomamon, how many time do I have to tell you to sit down?" Jun yelled at the Digimon. Gomamon simply smiled at her with that smile of his. Jun narrowed her eyes at him.

"A lot actually," he replied. "I'm just too excited to sit down!"

Penmon managed to grab Gomamon and pulled him back to his seat just as Jou turned to the block that led to Daisuke and Ken's condo/mansion. "You should really be more carefully," Penmon said with a sigh.

"Now where is the fun in that?" Gomamon asked as he laughed. Jun could only sigh in response as her gaze shifted to her husband again. He was still tense, despite the light conversation that was going around in the car.

"You're worried about Ken-kun, aren't you?"

Jou sighed just as the huge gate and fence could be seen in the distance. "You know how complicated male pregnancies are. I have no doubt that Ken-kun would be put under a lot of stress because of this, which is not good, might I add. And then there are Ken's fears. I know he is fine with me examining him (to an extent anyway), but that doesn't make the process less stressful for the both of us. I'm not sure how Kun-kun will react when he would have to go to the clinic every couple of weeks so I can monitor him and the baby."

Jun nodded as Jou stopped right in front of the gate. A monitor was there with an option to call one of two residences or to swipe their keycard. Jun watched as Jou pulled out his keycard and swiped it. After a moment the sound of the gate unlocking was heard, followed by it opening, allowing them to enter.

"I guess you have a point. I was worried about that myself," she said as Jou drove inside and parked right next to Daisuke's blue Subaru Outback. "But, I think he will be fine." She grinned at her husband as he looked at her with a raised brow.

"How do you know that?"

"Ken is a Motomiya, now, and you know how stubborn we Motomiyas are."

"Ain't that the truth," Gomamon snickered, while Penmon just snorted in response.

Jou seemed rather unsure of her response as his dark eyes just stared at her, completely ignoring the two snickering Digimon. Jun could tell by his furrowed brows that he was repeating her words in his head. After several long seconds, the tension on Jou's features relaxed as he chuckled softly. "I guess you're right," he finally said.

"Of course I am!" Jun chirped as she opened the door to the car and proceeded to get out. "I know my family," Jun said with a smile as she opened the door for the Digimon. Once Penmon and Gomamon were out, Jun helped her husband with the bags they had brought with them. "And besides," Jun said as Jou locked the car and proceeded to walk to the front door. "Ken-kun has Daisuke to support him and we all know how protective he is."

Jou groaned in response as they entered the house and closed the door behind them. They certainly did know Daisuke all too well. Daisuke wouldn't be Daisuke if he wasn't protective of his husband. Even as a child Daisuke was always looking after his friends and refused to allow those he cared about be harmed in any way. He was stubborn, courageous, and loyal to a fault. It was all part of his personality and charm. And that was how Jun knew Ken would be in good hands. Daisuke had always put Ken's needs first. Even as children, Daisuke had always made sure Ken was comfortable and felt safe in any environment he was in.

Jun smiled. The two were inseparable as children. Even after Ken locked himself away all those years ago, it was Daisuke who brought him back. It had always been her brother. Daisuke never gave up and that's what made him the perfect life partner for Ken. Her brother's friendship and love were too strong and pure to allow anything to get in the way. That was just who he was after all.

"Be right there!" Jun smiled as Daisuke yelled from somewhere inside the living space after Jou knocked twice on the door. It didn't take long for her brother to open the door to greet them with a huge grin on his face. Well, someone was definitely happy. "Neechan, Jou-kun, please come in."

"Don't mind if we do," Jun said with a smile of her own as she, Jou, and their Digimon entered the living space, allowing Daisuke to close it behind them. "Where's Ken?" Jun asked as they made their way to the living room. V-mon and Wormmon were there, which was not unusual. Wormmon and V-mon were just as close as Ken and Daisuke were. Although, she found it odd that Wormmon was not with his pregnant partner (watching him like a hawk), who was currently nowhere to be seen.

"He's getting changed," Wormmon answered from his seat on the sofa as he glanced up from the cards in his two stubby claws. Jun nodded and watched as Penmon and Gomamon decided to join the other two Digimon in their game of cards. She had to smile at that. It was an amusing sight to see Gomamon trying to help V-mon win against Wormmon. Key word: trying. Playing against Wormmon was just like playing against Ken. And it was very difficult to play and win against Ken, especially since Ken was a genius and had taught Wormmon how to play many board games over the years.

"What's in the bags?" V-mon asked as she and Jou placed the bags on the small coffee table that Ken and Daisuke had in their living room.

"Some medication and vitamins for Ken-kun," Jou replied as he pushed his glasses back in place. Daisuke smiled at Jou as he glanced at the various bottles he saw inside the bag.

"Also some foods that would be easier for him to eat." Daisuke rolled his eyes, completely ignoring the bag of meds for now, and turned to glare playfully at her.

"You know, Neechan, you're acting as if I'm not capable of making healthy foods for _my husband_ ," Daisuke grumbled under his breath, not noticing the sound of footsteps coming from the other hall.

Jun flashed a smile at her brother-in-law as he entered the living room. Unlike his usual work clothes (which consisted of a purple work shirt, gray trench coat, gray slacks, a black belt, and a brown holster attached to his hip), Ken was wearing a light blue long-sleeve shirt and black jeans. His dark navy shoulder-length hair was pulled into a ponytail, allowing short bangs to frame his handsome face. "It's not like that at all, Daisuke." Ken returned the smile in kind. His calm violet eyes sparkled with amusement. Ken was used to the two of them playing around with each other as soon as they were in the same space. Of course, they would never change. They had been doing it for years after all. "Just thought Ken-kun would appreciate having some softer food that won't make him run to the bathroom every half hour."

Before Daisuke could retort Jun's obvious challenge about his cooking skills, Ken's soft voice spoke up from behind him. "That's very sweet of you Jun. Thank you."

Daisuke jumped, slightly startled by Ken's sudden appearance behind him. "Geez, Ken-chan, you could at least warn me before you sneak up on me like that." Daisuke turned around to face Ken, who was looking at him in confusion. Upon looking at his husband, however, Daisuke's smile threatened to fall off his face as he took in what Ken was wearing, in addition to the never ending confusion that was currently showing on his handsome features. "On second thought, you can sneak up on me anytime you want." Jun rolled her eyes at the toothy grin her brother was giving his husband. "Especially with how lovely you are looking this afternoon."

Jun watched with an amused smile as Ken took a double take on what he was wearing. There was nothing special with what Ken was wearing. She had seen it plenty of times when she visited her brother over the years. Even before they started dating, Daisuke had always been rather charming and romantic when he felt the need to be. "There's nothing special about what I'm wearing," Ken commented as he gazed at his husband, questioningly. Her brother definitely had something planned if he was trying to distract Ken from something. And she had a pretty good idea on what. "You've seen me wear this plenty of times."

Jun's eyes shifted to her husband and saw him giving Wormmon the bag of meds that he had prepared for Ken. Wormmon was looking at each bottle of medicine carefully as Jou explained what each one was for and when Ken was supposed to take them. Jun smiled at that. Wormmon had always been protective of his partner, always making sure Ken was well taken care of and safe. She knew just by how determined the little Virus Digimon was to protect his partner (along with her brother), Ken and his unborn child would be just fine.

"Maybe," Daisuke said with a shrug as his eyes seemed to follow her example and briefly lingered on the medical bag that was next to Jou before returning his attention back to Ken. "But, you look stunning in anything you wear." A dusting of pink shaded Ken's cheeks as Daisuke's eyes drifted to Ken's stomach. "That will never change…" Brown orbs softened as they returned to confused violet orbs. "...even when you start showing."

Ken smiled softly as he shyly looked away from Daisuke's soft gaze to stare at his own stomach. Jun watched with a fond smile at how cute Ken looked as he hesitantly touched his stomach. Jun thought Ken would have gotten used to all the compliments he gets from Daisuke and the rest of them. For as long as she knew him, Ken had never been good at taking compliments, especially after all these years of living with her brother. However, Jun believed it was more due to the lasting effect of neglect and abandonment he had been through as a child. Ken might look like he was calm and composed on the outside, but she knew Ken was still healing from everything that he had been through over the years.

 _They are so cute_ , Jun couldn't help but think as she silently watched her brother place his hand over Ken's. Jun found the scene very adorable (and very romantic) as Ken lifted his eyes to meet her brother's. Daisuke's brown eyes were soft and reassuring as he smiled down at Ken. "I promise, everything is going to be just fine."

Jun found herself tilting her head slightly as Ken hesitated in his response. He seemed unsure and nervous as he stared into Daisuke's reassuring brown orbs. That small hesitation only lasted for a moment before Ken finally smiled and nodded in response. "Thank you." But it made her wonder what the two were discussing before they got there. Jun had a feeling that Ken might have been worried about the possible complications of his pregnancy, but she didn't dare ask. She didn't want to interrupt the cute moment the two were having.

That was until her husband cleared his throat, ruining the moment the two were having. "Daisuke-kun, Ken-kun, there's some things I would like to discuss with the both of you." Jun shot an annoyed glare at her husband, who unsurprisingly avoided looking at her.

Jun huffed in annoyance as the couple blinked and turned to look at Jou. Ken seemed curious about what Jou wanted to talk to them about, while Daisuke just looked at Jou with a searching stare. Daisuke knew exactly what Jou wanted to talk about. She had told him over the phone what needed to be discussed after all.

"Ken-chan, would you mind getting some refreshment from the kitchen," Daisuke asked, never removing his gaze from Jou, "And maybe some snacks — those cookies you were making perhaps?"

"Okay," Ken replied as his violet eyes briefly gazed at them and the Digimon before returning to Daisuke. "I believe I would need to make more tea, though. We just finished the batch we had earlier."

"Can we finally have the strawberry filled cookies you were making?" came V-mon's very excited, very hyper, very hopeful voice. Ken smiled softly as the blue dragon dropped the cards he was holding in his claws and jumped off the sofa and landed right in front of him. With a huge hopeful grin on his dragon face.

"V-mon, you really need to learn patience," Ken said with a soft laugh. "If I gave them to you the moment I finished baking them, then you would have burned yourself. You don't want that now, do you?" V-mon looked sheepish as he calmed down a bit.

"I guess not," he muttered quietly before his voice rose to its excited volume once again. "But you make the best cookies, Ken!" V-mon declaration was rather sweet and touching if Jun did say so for herself. And she wasn't the only one. Ken's eyes softened quite a bit as he rested his hands on his knees and gazed at the dragon fondly.

"I don't know about that," Ken's voice was soft and gentle as he spoke. He never did gave himself enough credit. "Daisuke is clearly better at cooking than I am, but thank you, it's very sweet of you."

"Maybe we should help you," Wormmon had long ago abandoned his cards in the middle of Ken's conversation with V-mon and had made his way over to the two, "I don't think you should be lifting anything heavy, Ken-chan, besides I don't think you want V-mon breaking the new china you just bought."

V-mon pouted at his friend. "I don't break everything! They just tend to slip from my claws!" V-mon turned his gaze to Ken, who was frowning slightly, with a pleading look. "Please, let me help! I promise I'll try to not break anything!"

Jun snorted at that. They all knew very well that V-mon would so break something. However, Ken was not the person to say no to help, even if it was bad help. "Of course, you can help." Ken's frown was replaced with a gentle smile, but there was something in his eyes that suggested that he was uneasy about something. She wondered what it was.

Daisuke cleared his throat to get her attention. "Neechan, can you help them?" Jun noticed how her brother's eyes seemed to linger on Ken — who was not paying any attention to them — for a moment before returning to her. Jun nodded as she smiled at her brother-in-law and the two Digimon.

"I'll join you guys!"

Ken smiled and mouthed a quick, _"Thank you,"_ before V-mon decided to take that moment to run out of the living room and towards their new destination.

"Let's go then!"

"V-mon slow down! You're going to break something!" Ken yelled after the hyper Digimon with Wormmon in tow.

V-mon was soon heard laughing from down the hall with Ken yelling at him. Jun laughed softly as she began to follow them, however, she lingered in the hall for a moment, glancing back at her brother and husband, questioningly as they began to talk.

"You want to talk about doing some _examinations_ on Ken-chan, don't you?"

Jun could hear the strain in his voice. They all knew how Ken felt about hospitals and doctors. Jou was lucky that Ken actually allowed him to be his personal doctor. Heaven forbids if they ever try to take him to any other human doctor.

"That's correct, Daisuke." Jun saw the two taking a seat on the sofa that was close to the coffee table. Jou retrieved a brown folder from his medical bag and handed it to Daisuke. Jun knew what that was. It was Ken's medical file. The one that she read the day before. "I have the reports that Hirose-san sent me. He did some of the basic testings for me, so I don't have to repeat them. But there are some tests that need to be done since Ken is in his first trimester." Jun didn't need to look at her brother to know that he was on edge. Daisuke had always been rather protective of Ken. But this pregnancy was just another obstacle that they needed to overcome.

However, this was a very stressful and confusing situation. Unexpected male pregnancy was a little more complicated and delicate than woman pregnancy, especially in Ken's case. Jun knew her brother was very worried about Ken's well being and health, especially with his past trauma. "Daisuke, I know Ken might not ever get over his fear of doctors or hospitals. But I promise no harm will come to him — or the baby. I will make sure they both survive this." Jou paused before continuing. "If it makes you feel better, you are more than welcome to be with him when I perform the tests and be with him when the time comes for the baby to be born." Jun frowned. There was no doubt in her mind that her brother would make sure he was with Ken at all times. Ken was just too badly traumatized to be in a hospital by himself.

"I trust you, Jou," Daisuke told him as he placed the file on the coffee table, "You are a great friend and doctor and you've proven many times that you are not one of _those doctors_. You care about our health and always put out needs first." Jun knew exactly who Daisuke was talking about. The bastards. Who in the right mind would torture an innocent child like that?

Jun sighed. Now seemed like a good time to get away from this conversation and join Ken in the kitchen. However, the sudden shift in his voice made her feet stay glued to the floor. "However…" Daisuke voice was hesitant and worried. His voice was also unsure like he was trying to convince himself of something. "I promised Ken nothing bad will happen to him or the baby." Jun looked back at her brother. His posture was slightly stiff from the shoulders up. She couldn't see his face from this angle, but she could tell he was worried about not keeping his promise. He was scared, she realized, and rightly so. "He's nervous that something could happen to him when the time comes to deliver. He knows that he would have to go to the hospital, but he is terrified still." Daisuke sighed. "I fear Ken will be far too frightened to even go near your clinic. I'm sure you remember the last time we took him."

Jun grimaced at that. She had never really agreed on forcing Ken to go to a hospital, even if it was for his own good. Ken had become to badly traumatized that even the mere mention of taking him to a hospital would force him to go into a panic attack. Jun remembered helping Daisuke distract Ken that one time as Jou did a simple checkup after Ken recovered from his injuries that he received while on a tough case. Although, Ken had not reacted kindly to Jou giving him some vaccinations and drawing his blood for testing. Ken had ended up going into a panic attack, forcing Jou to put him to sleep until he was done.

Jun pushed that mental picture away as she made her way down the hallway, away from the tense conversation and unwanted memories. She didn't need that memory filling her head right now. Jun walked into the dining room and almost drooled at the aroma of freshly baked cookies. Jun smiled as she saw Ken placing the cookies on a serving plate. Wormmon and V-mon were both helping him by carrying either a tray of tea cups or plates. V-mon, of course, was caring plates that were plastic, while Wormmon was holding the unfilled tea cups (with the exception of one being made of foam).

"Is there anything you need me to do?" Jun asked as she entered the room. Ken gave her a smile as he finished transferring the cookies from the baking sheet to the metal serving plate.

"I still need to do the tea. I have the teapot, mint, and sugar on the counter." Jun nodded as she followed Ken into the kitchen. Jun saw the ingredients that Ken had on the counter, along with the pot of water that he was boiling. Jun noticed that Ken had already rinsed out the mint leaves and had placed them in a bowl next to the teapot. Jun took several of the green leaves and tore them before placing them into the blue floral teapot.

"So, how are you feeling?" Jun asked, breaking the silence between them. Ken turned off the flame from the stove and picked up the pot of water that he had been heating up.

"I feel a lot better, Jun," Ken said as he slowly poured the water into the teapot. Jun leaned her back against the counter as she studied her brother-in-law. Ken did seem better, especially for someone who had just had morning sickness not long ago. "The soup helped." Ken gave her a gentle smile as he placed the pot back on the stove.

Neither of them spoke as they waited for the tea to steep in the water. Jun wasn't sure how to address the questions that were swirling in her head. She didn't want to pry into Ken's thoughts. Ken was mentally stable now and it wasn't her place to force an answer out of him. However, she was concerned about her brother-in-law and how he was holding up.

"So, when are the in-laws coming?"

Jun blinked at the question before a laugh escaped her. "I didn't tell them."

Ken's dark brow rose up in question, though this violet orbs showed that he was very, very amused. "Really? I would have thought you would have told them of my pregnancy by now, especially if it's to beat your brother to the punch."

Jun usually would have smirked smugly at that and would have bragged (to her brother) on how she told the big news first. However, she didn't and for a good reason to. "As much as I would love to rub it in in Daisuke's face that I told them before he did," Jun smiled softly at Ken as he unconsciously touched his stomach, "it's not my place." Ken's brows furrowed slightly in confusion. "This is something you guys should tell them."

Ken didn't respond right away. In fact, he didn't say anything for a long while and only moved when it was time to remove the tea leaves. Jun noticed that his body language was stiff and uneasy. Unsure of what to do, Jun silently watched Ken in concern as he slowly squeezed some lemon into the tea and added some sugar. When Ken was done, however, he turned towards her and it was then when she noticed the small frown and the look in his eyes. Was that fear she was seeing?

"Ken-kun?" Jun didn't know what to say. There were so many things Ken could be afraid of and rightly so. She desperately wanted to erase his fears, but what could she do that her brother hadn't done already?

"Do you think they'll be okay with it?" Ken asked softly as he looked nervously at her as he gestured to his stomach. "I mean…"

Jun wasn't entirely sure what Ken was getting at, so she stayed silent and waited for him to continue. But as Ken's voice began to trail off into uncertainty, followed by him shifting nervously from foot to foot, did it finally dawned on her on what Ken was trying to say. With a smile, hoping it would ease Ken's fears, Jun placed a hand on his shoulder. "Ken-kun, Okaasan and Otousan adore you. Just like how they were the first to be excited and supportive when my brother asked you out and later proposed, I know they will be thrilled to know that you are having a child." _Though, they might rant and rage about how unfair this was for you._ But Jun would never say that out loud. "I just know it."

Jun waited a moment, silently watching the mixture of emotions running through his face. She knew that Ken would need a lot of time to sort through all the changes of having a baby growing inside of him, as well as a whole lot of other things (with his mother being one of them). Despite this, Jun knew Ken would be all right. He wasn't alone and she would do everything she could to make this easy for him.

"Thanks, Jun," Ken said with a small sigh, "I guess I was worried about nothing, huh?"

"No," Jun shook her head slightly, "I would be a little scared too if I was in your position. Remember when I had Taikai?" Jun waited for the small nod that Ken gave before continuing. "I was absolutely terrified," Jun laughed as she remembered how freaked Jou was when he found out; Jou had been apologizing for hours and worrying that they weren't ready, "so was Jou." Jun smiled at the small smile that crossed Ken's face. "Trust me, I have an idea of what's going through your head. You can't think of those things, though. Sure the morning sickness and weird cravings and other symptoms are annoying, but its worth it in the end. You and Daisuke will have a beautiful baby to care for and watch grow into a young man or woman."

Ken's eyes took on a faraway look at the very mention of the baby. Jun smiled softly, knowing that Ken was thinking about the baby that was growing inside of him and how happy Daisuke must be to finally have what he'd been dreaming of. "What you think she'll be like?"

Jun blinked, staring at her brother-in-law in confusion. "Who?"

"The baby," Ken said with a tinge of pink starting to shade his cheeks. "We've been discussing on what she would look like and what her personality would be."

"So, that's what you guys been talking about before we got here, hmm?" Jun gazed at her brother-in-law with a smile as she picked up the teapot. "Well, hopefully, the baby inherits your smarts and common sense. God help us if she ends up like Daisuke."

"What's wrong with Daisuke?" They blinked at each other as they heard V-mon from the entrance of the kitchen. They turned towards the entrance of the kitchen to see him and Wormmon walking in.

"He has no common sense half of the time. I'm telling you! My brother is a magnet for trouble!"

V-mon frowned in his partner's defense. "That's not true! It's not his fault that some people and mons don't agree with him! And he's not even the one to start the fights!"

Jun turned to Ken and saw him looking at V-mon in surprise. "What kind of fights?" Ken asked, sounding concern.

V-mon stiffened. Obviously, he wasn't supposed to mention that. "Umm, nothing serious…just some silly rumors, that's all."

Before Ken could even question V-mon on what these rumors were, Jun decided to avert the conversation. "As much as I would love to stay here and chat, but I think it would be wise to return to the two men in the living room. I don't know about you," Jun looked at Ken, who was still frowning at V-mon, "but I rather not see your living room turned into ruins as a result of a wrestling match."

Ken stiffened and looked at her in horror. Oh, she knew how Ken felt about any type of mess in his living space. It was one of the many things that they had in common. "That's sad," V-mon commented, "you don't trust your own partner."

Jun turned to V-mon and looked at him with both amusement and annoyance. "Oh, I trust Penmon. One-hundred percent." She narrowed her eyes as she gave V-mon her best stank eye. "It's my brother, Gomamon, and _you_ I don't trust." Jun heard Ken laugh softly behind her as V-mon began laughing nervously as little beads of sweat began to form on his forehead.

When it looked like V-mon wasn't going to comment anymore, Jun turned toward Ken and smiled brightly at her brother-in-law. "Now let go then," she beamed, "can't have our husbands waiting too long!" With that said, Jun left the kitchen with Ken and the Digimon following soon afterward.

 _Now comes the hard part,_ Jun silently thought as they made their way back to the living room. Jun glanced at Ken, who was holding the plate of cookies and glancing ever so often at the two Digimon. Jun wasn't sure how Ken would react when he found out the true reason for their arrival.

"Daisuke, does Ken even know about this? This is huge!" Jou sounded really frustrated from the tone in his voice. Jun wondered what they were talking about. It didn't sound like they were talking about Ken and his pregnancy anymore.

"I haven't gotten a chance to tell him. We've been a little busy if you haven't noticed," Daisuke said in a defensive tone, "besides, I wanted to make sure these rumors were true before I told him?"

"Tell me what?" Ken asked as they entered the room, looking at the two men with a frown placed firmly on his handsome features. Jun was also curious about what these rumors were as well. All she knew was the news of Ken being pregnant and a little about this strange man that her son was telling her about when he and the other children got back from the Digital World the day before, followed by a bunch of Digimon disappearing and then later reappearing as Dark or Evil Digimon, attacking them for no reason.

The two men looked their way (looking very uneasy by the discussion) as they walked over to them. Ken took a seat next to his spouse once the refreshments were placed on the table and passed out.

"Ken-kun," Jou started as he pushed his glasses back, "there are some things we need to discuss."

"About?" he asked as he placed the cup he had been holding on the coffee table.

"About…you and the baby…" Jou paused upon seeing the moment of panic and fear that flashed on Ken's face before it was quickly covered up with the persona that Ken had built when he was at work or out on a case. He was very calm, collected, and seemed unnerved about what was going on around him or about the subject of their conversation.

"W-what about us?" They weren't fooled, though. They heard the slight hitch in Ken's voice, as well as being able to see through his touch exterior. The twitch of a smile and the questioning (unnerved) eyes may have fooled those who didn't know Ken as well as they did, but they were not as easily fooled. They knew he was scared and was trying very hard not to show it.

"Ken," Daisuke gently placed his hand on the square of Ken's back, rubbing it gently as he gave his spouse a reassuring smile, "Jou just wants to run some additional tests." As soothing and gentle her brother's words sounded, it did nothing to ease the panic and fear that Ken clearly felt in that moment. Jun could only watch in concern, unable to do anything, as the color all but drained from his already fair complexion.

Ken looked absolutely terrified now. His body went stiff and rigged as he sat on the sofa, looking to be on the verge of a panic attack or maybe on the verge of bolting to somewhere else in the house. When it seemed that Daisuke's soothing touches were not going to calm him down, Daisuke got up from the sofa and stood in front of his frightened spouse. Daisuke bent down so that they were eye level and gently gripped Ken's shoulders as reassuring brown stared into frightened violet. "Hey, we went through this already. Everything is going to be just fine." Daisuke smiled, gently rubbing Ken's tense shoulders in reassurance, as Ken's breathing began to speed up a bit.

"Ken, I know you are scared. Hell, I'm scared too! Do you think I want to see in such a terrified and panic state, especially around the people who care and love you?"

Ken's gaze shifted to her and Jou and then the Digimon. Jun smiled reassuringly at him, despite wanting to run to Ken and help her brother drive away the fear that currently filled him. However, she knew Daisuke had it covered. "No," Ken murmured softly as he returned his gaze to his husband.

"Ken, I know you're scared. I understand. This is such a big change for you," Jou said calmly as he got up from where he was sitting next to her and walked over to sit next to Ken. Jou's eye remained on Ken's as he placed a comforting hand on his knee. "But I'm worried about you. I don't know the development of the baby or how this will affect you. This is why I need to do these tests. I want to make sure your pregnancy goes as smoothly as possible. And if something does happen, I want to be prepared for it. Do you understand?"

Ken slowly nodded after a long moment, looking torn between running away from his problems or doing everything he could to make sure his baby survives. "Yes, I understand...w-when are we going to your clinic?"

The collective sounds of relief were heard throughout the room. They had all feared Ken would refuse Jou's request to conduct some examinations. However, Jun knew Ken was putting the life of the unborn, innocent above his own fears and uncertainties.

Jou smiled as he squeezed Ken's knee. "In about an hour, if you don't mind. I need to make a few phone calls." When Ken and Daisuke both nodded, Jou got up once again and left the room to make his phone calls.

As Jou left, Daisuke returned to his seat next to his spouse and pulled Ken into his lap. Ken didn't make a sound as he closed his eyes, burying his face into Daisuke's chest as he was pulled into Daisuke embrace. The two of them stayed like that as they waited for Jou to return.

Jun and the Digimon remained quiet, knowing that Ken needed the comfort of his husband. They all munched on their snacks as they watched Daisuke run his fingers through Ken's hair. They all figured it was a good sign when Ken's relaxed further into Daisuke warm body, followed by the sigh that escaped him. However, none of them spoke. All of them just couldn't bare to break the comforting silence that overtook the atmosphere. Ken needed the comfort of his husband. Besides, seeing Daisuke comforting Ken like this was always an adorable sight to see.

"Um, Daisuke?" Daisuke looked up when Jou returned to the room. Jun, however, did not like the frown on her husband's features. It was never a good sign when he frowned like that.

"What is it?" Daisuke asked quietly as he continued to run his fingers through Ken's hair. It was then when she realized that Ken had fallen asleep from Daisuke's ministrations.

"I just got a call from Koushiro-kun."

Jun joined her brother as his brows rose up in a silent question. "What he say?" Daisuke asked as Ken shifted a bit. Seems Ken wasn't as passed out as they had thought.

"Koushiro-kun wants to talk about the new threat the kids encountered yesterday."

"He wants to hold a Chosen Meeting?" Jun asked as she saw Daisuke's eyes go wide, followed by him hugging Ken a little bit tighter. However, it was that action that finally convinced Ken to leave his semi-sleeping state.

"I fear it might be a lot worse than we thought."


End file.
